Accident and Destiny: An Elder Scrolls Novel
by SuperGreG
Summary: 4E48-Almost 50 yrs after the Oblivion Crisis & 5 yrs since the events of the Infernal City, a farmboy from Falkreath & a merchant turned adventurer forge an unexpected bond in the Colovian wilds. Circumstances eventually draw them into a shadowy plot involving agents from Alinor planning to break the Empire of Titus Mede I. Oblivion, The Infernal City/Lord of Souls & Skyrim.
1. Chapter 1

Foreword:

Almost fifty years after the Oblivion Crisis and more than four years since the events of the Infernal City, the story begins. A farmboy from Falkreath and a merchant turned adventurer forge an unexpected bond in the Colovian wilds. Circumstances eventually draw them into a shadowy plot involving agents from Alinor planning to undermine the stability of the Empire of Titus Mede I.

Authors note: With some artistic license, all reasonable effort made to maintain parity with canon established in Oblivion, The Infernal City/Lord of Souls, and Skyrim.

Rated M for mild adult content.

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Although it should go without needing to be stated, let it be said: Bethesda own The Elder Scrolls and all related materials. I am merely contributing my own interpretations in a public forum and no profit is derived or intended from my work.

* * *

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* * *

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 1

Turdas the 6th of Sun's Height 4E48

It was either the pain or the heat that woke Alex. Or perhaps the bright light that assaulted his eyelids as he rolled over onto his other side. He rolled back over and was rewarded with a face full of shrubs. His measure of awareness remained dull at best. His right leg and shoulder both ached in a fashion that he could hardly credit to a bad sleeping position. He also became aware of the throbbing aching of the left side of his head. Moving his hand to his head, he found it even more painful to the touch. A sizeable lump with a crusting of something in his hair. He suspected dried blood, not yet opening his eyes to check.

He wondered why he found it so difficult to come to full wakefulness. He was not one for strong drink, so that seemed unlikely. That aside, where in the world was he and why was it so damned hot?

Alex forced his eyes to open through several fluttering blinks. It was certainly bright. A clear sky and blazing sun near to directly above. He found himself half covered by the shade of a low bush, a rough road just a few paces to his left.

Several more moments passed before he managed to raise himself up to a sitting position. Several more passing before he regained enough of his senses to retrace his thoughts.

* * *

It was yesterday that he had set off. At least he was fairly sure it was only yesterday. It had been two weeks since he had finalised the sale of Pinewatch Farm, his family home. After the passing of his mother, Alex held no desire to continue that lifestyle. With no one else to tie him down, he was still young enough to strike out toward something new.

Old Captain Bolfur had paid a modest amount for the farm and had agreed to keep on both farmhands. He would be moving his family from Falkreath to Pinewatch over the next few days. It was in good hands with someone that had truly wanted to take it on.

Alex had planned to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather's youth. Many years ago, before Erik Pinewatch had settled down to live the life of a farmer with grandmother Illiana, he had lived a life of an adventurer travelling throughout many regions of Tamriel. Alex had always been excited and inspired by his grandfather's tales when he was just a boy. Of course that was years ago. His grandfather had died peacefully in his sleep at the farm, more than ten years earlier.

Alex had packed his personal belongings and left Pinewatch behind for the last time. He had secured passage with the trade wagon out of Falkreath, southbound for Chorrol by way of the pass in the west of the Jerall Mountains.

A trade wagon always set off at dawn on the first Middas of the month. This particular month, Sun's Height in the 48th year of the Fourth Era, with Alexander Pinewatch aboard. A young nord bound for Cyrodiil and a life of adventure.

From the back of the wagon, the westward journey from Falkreath to the border had remained fully uneventful. He was almost disappointed that there were no bandit attacks or other such troubles along the road. He was almost certain that he had spotted a troll in the forest just before sunset. However, it was quite a ways off. It could have been a bear, or an elk, or almost anything.

The only other passenger in the back of the wagon was a burly bearded colovian by the name of Duncan. The man periodically dozed throughout the day. Not much of a talker.

Alex watched the northern lights dancing in the darkening skies as the wagon began the ascent toward the mountain pass. Eventually, he had fallen asleep to the rhythmic rocking of the wagon. He held a tidy sum of gold and a bright unknown future ahead of him. That was the last thing that he remembered.

* * *

Still sitting by the side of the road, Alex's hand moved to his coinpurse. Of course it was gone. As was the other purse hidden inside his shirt. His sword was also gone. That is, the elven sword that previously belonged to his grandfather. The very sword that Erik Pinewatch carried with him until he retired from his days of youthful adventure.

In fact, Alex had lost all of his belongings. Everything else that he owned was in the trunk in the back of the wagon; including the remainder of his funds that he had received for the sale of Pinewatch Farm. All he had left was the clothes on his back and nothing else. He was almost surprised that he still had his boots.

It took little imagination to piece together what must have happened. The colovian, Duncan, if that was his real name, had waited until Alex was fully asleep before beating him over the head and rolling him off the wagon. It was reasonable to assume that both the wagon driver and guard were also in on it.

Alex was angry. Much of his anger directed toward the scum that had stolen from him and left him to the fates upon the side of the road. He was just as angry at himself for being stupid enough to allow such a thing to happen.

He stood and looked at the road. Despite the aches and pains, nothing seemed broken. Nothing but his sense of self worth. He had supposed he should consider himself somewhat lucky. He might ended up with a broken limb from the fall or far worse. He had wanted to set off upon a life of adventure, but this was not exactly what he had in mind.

He considered that he might follow the road back to Falkreath. However, he somehow doubted that his pride would survive the journey. The obvious alternative being to continue onward into Cyrodiil toward Chorrol. Then it suddenly occurred to him that he did not know exactly where he was.

He assumed that the road in front of him actually was the road through the Jerall Mountain pass. He glanced firstly to the left and then to the right. He looked about at the mountain around him. He remained satisfied that he must still be somewhere in the pass. Given that the sun was directly above at the height of summer, he was uncertain of north from south. In a few hours it would become more obvious. After looking about for more subtle signs, he had almost convinced himself that southbound lay to his left. Without any firm measure of conviction, Alex began trudging along the road to whatever lay ahead.

* * *

After a few hours, Alex felt vaguely justified that he was not a complete idiot. With the progress of the afternoon, he had confirmed that he was indeed travelling southward. The sun was gradually moving over to his right.

Although his right leg was sore, he thought that it felt just a little better from actually using it. Perhaps better than allowing the leg to stiffen about the bruises that he was certain of. Nevertheless, his pace remained rather sluggish. He thought it unwise to push himself too much.

By about the middle of the afternoon, he had come across a rather poor excuse for a mountain stream that intersected with the road. He was hungry and thirsty. At least one of those things could be sated. The water was surprisingly cool under the summer sun. Although he reminded himself that such a thing was probably normal at that altitude. He took his fill from the stream.

Alex caught sight of his reflection in the water. His brown eyes appeared almost black as they looked back at him. His hair also seemed longer and darker than its medium brown colour. The length was just an illusion caused by the angle from which he was looking down. For just a moment, he had considered the face that looked back. He didn't look like much of the rugged adventurer type. He didn't look like some kind of handsome hero. Not that he was unusually homely. To his own mind, he just appeared rather ordinary.

Alex took the opportunity to wash his hair in the cool stream, gently cleaning the mild wound upon the side of his head. It did not start bleeding again, reassuring him that it could not have been nearly as bad as the pain seemed to indicate.

Alex decided to sit by the stream and rest for a bit. As he sat and collected his thoughts, he considered that it might not be so wise to remain upon the road. If there were bandits about, it made sense that they would be targeting travellers upon the roads. He had already been assaulted once by bandits along the road and he had actually paid them for the deed, twice over.

He was in no shape to take on roadside bandits, and even if he was in better condition, he had no proper weapons. If only to bolster his confidence, he selected a sturdy branch to serve as a club. It was better than nothing.

As he continued onward, he tried to stay off the road. Keeping the road always in sight, but remaining just far enough off the path that he could quickly dive out of sight if the need arose.

Despite his concern, not a soul had come along the road throughout the afternoon. It was probably not so very surprising. Only traders travelling between Cyrodiil and western Skyrim or eastern Hammerfell were likely to take that road through the pass. Even then, hardly likely to make that journey every day. Nonetheless, Alex remained weary of travelling by the roadside without proper measure of caution.

Eventually the daylight faded and gave way to evening. At first he considered that he should halt his journey. However, the rise of Masser and Secunda seemed to provide enough moonlight to continue for a while longer.

He soon found reasons to revise that notion. Firstly, he had come across a fox by a shrub. It was difficult to tell which of them was the more startled. He had not seen it until only a few paces lay between them. In passing, he was reminded of his growing hunger. Not that he had a blade, or any way of starting a fire. Still, he idly wondered whether the fox would have been fair eating.

More sensibly, he wondered what other night creature might suddenly appear in his path. Perhaps something far more dangerous than a frightened fox.

A light cloud cover was beginning to form, rolling down from the mountains behind him and periodically obscuring the moonlight from above. He decided it better to find a reasonably safe spot to settle down for the remainder of the evening. Besides, he was far too tired to continue with any measure of satisfactory alertness.

He selected a rocky outcrop where he settled in with his back to the stone and some low bushes between him and the road. Although hardly even reminiscent of a comfortable bed, only moments after he had settled, he quickly drifted off to sleep.

~O~


	2. Chapter 2

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 2

Fredas the 7th of Sun's Height 4E48

The distant call of a morning bird stirred Alex from his slumber. It took only a moment to recall where he was and how he came to be there. He quickly looked about, relieved to learn that he was alone. Dawn was breaking in the east though light clouds.

Stiffness plagued his back, a result of an awkward sleeping position. The aching of his shoulder and leg seemed only slightly improved from rest.

Despite a persistent thirst and hunger, he still needed to take a leak before anything else. He hoped that he would find another stream before the morning grew warm.

Without food or water or any other reason to delay, he took his makeshift club and set off southbound. As before, maintaining a path that kept the road in view to his right as much as possible. All the while doing his best to remain vigilant.

After about an hour, Alex had noted that the path had grown more difficult as the descent steepened somewhat. Upon more than one occasion he had needed to return to the road to negotiate the terrain.

Around a third of the way into the morning, he had spotted another small stream just ahead of him. Driven by the opportunity to quench his thirst, he cautiously scrambled over the rocks that lay across the path to his immediate goal. Just as he approached the final ledge that would lead to open ground below, he froze in place.

The hairs of his arms stood on end. It was a huge brown bear. Just below him. It had not sensed his presence. Alex dared no move. The bear was not moving. Possibly asleep. It was faced away from him. The size of its great haunches a fair indication of the bear's full size. Then it struck him. The smell of death. His measure of alarm increased accordingly.

As he remained frozen in place, realisation suddenly washed over him. The foul smell was coming from the bear itself. It was dead.

Alex glanced about furtively for any sign of what might have killed the bear. Nothing obvious, as far he could see.

Cautiously, he made his way down to the bear carcass. Only as he moved around to the front of the bear, did he learn of how it had died. A blade was hilt deep in the creature's throat. Holding his breath, he drew the blade from the carcass. It was long steel dagger, or else a stupidly short sword. Either way, it was a weapon. It was just what he needed. He wondered what had become of its previous owner.

As it happened, he did not wonder for long. Only twenty paces away he noted another source of deathly stench. The body of a man lay slumped up against a tree trunk. The fatal wounds seemed a clear result of a fight with the dead bear.

Judging from the dead man's attire, Alex surmised that the man must have been a hunter. The remains of a small fire indicated the likelihood that the hunter had been camped and had been surprised by the bear. Neither had survived the encounter.

Nonetheless, it seemed that at least Alex would profit from the misfortune. Though grim, it was the most positive turn of events since he had woken the day before.

Nothing that the hunter was wearing would be of any use. However, the other belongings at the camp would be of great value. A light armour leather vest was laid out over a log beside a hunting bow and leather quiver holding about thirty-odd steel tipped arrows. The hunter's coinpurse held forty-five gold pieces. It was nothing compared to what he lost, but every little bit was a step in the right direction. The hunter's light duty bedroll would also prove useful. The huntsman's knapsack was the best find yet. An almost filled water flask. Alex gulped down a few mouthfuls before even checking the rest of the content of the bag. There were a few pieces of fruit inside that had begun to rot. Those he discarded immediately. He found some cheese wrapped in cloth. It seemed just a little dried about the edges, but otherwise smelled okay. He also found some dried meat in other wrapping. He was not sure of what kind of animal it came from, but it also smelled okay. The only other things in the knapsack were a tinderbox and two small vials of liquid. Potions of some sort, he expected. However, neither was marked in any obvious fashion. He did not know what they were for. Best to just leave them in the bag for the time being.

Alex felt that he should probably bury the dead hunter's remains, but did not have any digging implements. Then he considered that it might be more respectful that the body be left exactly as it was, given that the hunter died during the hunt.

He made a silent prayer to Kynareth, recognising the sacrifice of both the hunter and bear, as well as giving thanks for the useful items left behind that would aid in his own survival.

He then turned and moved off down the hill toward the stream that had drawn him to that location in the first place.

As the first order of business, Alex chose to eat some cheese and dried meat before preparing to continue onward. He felt far better with something in his belly. He also refilled the water flask from the stream. Now armed with weapons and some basic armour, along with valued though meagre supplies, he felt far more confident when he again set off.

The following several hours passed rather uneventfully as Alex continued onward in a generally southerly direction. The forest became far less sparse as he descended further from the Jerall Mountains. Accordingly, he found it little harder to keep sight of the road as the path wound and turned with the terrain. By his reckoning, he supposed that he must have been somewhere in County Chorrol, or the Colovian Highlands, or whatever the locals called that specific area. At one point, he could see a high stone wall in the hazy distance. He wondered if it was Chorrol. He considered cutting directly toward through the forest in that direction, but decided it better to follow the road instead. After all, he might have been looking at the wall of some ancient ruin or the like. He felt certain that the road would lead to Chorrol, even if by a more indirect path.

Later in the afternoon, he had spotted a rabbit in a clearing ahead. He tried to take the kill with the hunting bow. The first arrow missed the mark, alerting the target. Two more arrows did no better. The moving target even more difficult to hit. The rabbit escaped into the underbrush to safety.

Alex silently cursed his own ineptitude. Although he had periodically played at archery, he had never needed to depend upon any great hunter's skill. Slaughtering farm animals hardly compared to the wild hunt. He had killed a deer once with a bow, just down the hill from Pinewatch. Obviously a much larger target than a wild rabbit. Still he wondered if that had been more about luck than skill. With a sigh, he retrieved his spent arrows from the clearing and resumed his journey.

* * *

Later still in the afternoon, with the sun dipping low toward the western horizon, two things drew Alex's attention.

Firstly, he had suddenly realised that he could no longer see the road through the trees. He suspected that it must have taken a turn away from his current path and he had not noticed. He figured that he should still find it easily enough if he adjusted his direction or else retraced his path a short way.

Secondly, he was alerted by a ruckus coming from just ahead of him. The source of the noise was just out of his view, coming from behind a rocky outcrop surrounded by chest-height bushes. He could not readily identify the sounds. It sounded a little like a large skeever caught in a trap. Actually, it sounded like at least three of them.

With bow drawn at the ready, Alex cautiously edged forward toward the source of the raucous screeching. Nearing the bushes and peering around the rocks, he observed three strange looking creatures wearing nothing but loincloths. They stood upright like men. However, they were something else altogether. Greenish-brown in colour with huge pointed ears like some sort of hideously deformed midget Orcs. He concluded that they must have been goblins. Almost never seen in Skyrim, but he had heard that they were more common in Cyrodiil.

He then realised that there was a fourth one, lying dead upon the ground. The reason for the ruckus was the fair-haired woman fighting them off with mace and shield.

Alex hesitated for only a moment. He felt that he should assist the woman, but also wondered whether she would prove friendly or otherwise at the end of the conflict.

The goblin nearest to the woman appeared already wounded, but also seemed the greatest threat. Alex took aim and released an arrow. To his mild surprise, the shaft struck home right through the back of the creature's neck. The goblin collapsed almost immediately making a sickening gurgling noise.

In a seamless fashion, the woman shifted her attack to the next nearest adversary, striking alternatively with mace and shield.

Alex adjusted his intent toward the other goblin. Firing his next arrow, the shot dropped lower than he had intended. Nevertheless, the shaft buried the arrowhead in the creature's right buttock. Not a fatal wound, it served to draw attention to Alex. The goblin swung around to face him, screeching wildly and brandishing a rusty shortsword. Backing up slightly, Alex scrambled to nock another arrow and draw back upon the hunting bow. His second arrow also struck the target. He could hardly miss at such a short range. Still the strike only landed in the goblin's thigh. Staggering the creature quite a bit, but not stopping it. Backing up yet again, Alex tried his best to make his next shot count for more. The third arrow hit squarely in the centre of the chest. The goblin staggered again. As Alex set another arrow, he wondered just how tough those things could possibly be. Before he could release another arrow, the creature collapsed face first to the ground.

Returning his attention back to the last of the goblins, Alex stood witness as the woman delivered the final blow to her opponent, her mace cracking the head of the creature and slamming it down to the ground.

Alex relaxed his draw on the bow, but remained reluctant to completely stand down.

The fair-haired woman stood her ground with mace and shield still at the ready, her eyes fixed firmly upon Alex, taking his measure.

A silence passed between them, yet she made no move to attack.

Hoping to break the tension, Alex lowered his bow. With widened eyes and his best harmless grin, he offered, "I only came to help."

Another moment of silence passed. Finally, the woman eased her stance just a little.

"I don't need your help," she stated firmly.

She had a strange accent, Alex thought to himself. He could not place it.

The woman dropped her shield to the ground, but kept hold of the mace. Keeping Alex within her field of vision, she kneeled down to check the body of the nearest goblin for anything useful.

Alex watched on as she made a small pile of items next to the carcass. A few lockpicks, two gemstones and a few gold pieces were retrieved from a satchel under the goblin's loincloth and piled with the dagger and shield that it had wielded.

Rising, she moved toward the next body to check it for useful items.

Alex decided that he should do the same with the one that he had just finished and moved to check it over.

"What are you doing?" She challenged him. Her amber eyes darkened.

"I killed two of them," he responded, checking her expression for any sign of immediate threat.

"You stole my kills," she countered, "This one was almost done." She was referring to the goblin with an arrow through its throat.

"This one was all mine." Alex referred to the dead goblin he was preparing to loot.

She merely grunted a non-committal acknowledgment, which Alex took as acceptance of his claim. Accordingly, he proceeded to check the body for useful items. All that he found was a single lockpick and a soulgem of some kind. Not even a charged gem at that. He also had the rusty shortsword that the creature had brandished.

Hardly seemed worth the effort, except that he had managed to stay alive as he helped out another traveller. Albeit someone that did not seem at all interested in his assistance.

He was however rather impressed with himself regarding his performance with the hunting bow. When it really mattered, in the heat of a battle, he had managed to come through it all without any injury. Certainly, his aim was a bit off and the end result was a mixture of intent with luck. Nevertheless, it was only his first day of fighting for his life.

Alex's silent musings were interrupted as the woman finished stashing the last of the items she had retrieved from the third goblin into her swollen knapsack. She stood and arranged her shield and bow over the back of each shoulder. She kept the mace in her right hard.

"That's that then," she said, shifting to take her leave.

"Uh, wait," Alex requested, feeling that things were not really quite as finished as she had indicated.

"What?" She questioned in a flat tone, as she paused in half turn.

"Uh, well…" he paused with uncertainty. "What should I call you?" he asked as inoffensively as possible.

"Why?" She returned without any interest.

"What do you mean, 'Why?' We just uh…" He trailed off, feeling awkward and somewhat bewildered by her attitude.

"My name is Alexander Pinewatch, Alex."

She did not respond.

After a further moment of silence, "Well, okay then," he conceded, "I suppose that I will just be on my way then."

Alex turned to head west to find the road again.

"Goblin cave that way," she warned.

Alex paused and then turned to head south instead.

"A bandit camp in that direction," she commented.

Alex stopped again, momentarily casting his eyes upward in mock frustration. He did not really want to head back over his previous path. It felt like he would be heading in the wrong direction altogether. At least in spirit, if not so much in fact.

"What about east then? He sighed.

A pause. "I don't know." She answered.

Alex tried to suppress a grin. "Something you do not know?" He jeered lightly.

She returned a harsh stare for a lengthy moment, before turning away from him to gaze eastward. "Not much detail on my map between here and Moranda."

"Moranda?" Alex prompted.

"Ayleid ruins."

"Is that where you are headed?"

"Too dangerous."

"Oh." Alex noted, "Well, I will keep that in mind."

"Do that".

"I will." He figured that he would only head eastward for a while, later turning south again before reaching any ancient ruins. He hoped that he would surely come across one of the other roads before too long. Presumably one that led to Chorrol.

Alex stepped around the woman and started off eastward.

"What are you doing?" She challenged.

"Heading east."

"I am headed in that direction." She insisted.

"Well, so am I."

She paced quickly past him and took the lead.

"Don't get in my way." She called back.

* * *

They continued onward in silence, remaining several paces apart. Daylight soon faded with the setting sun, darkness held at bay only by the glow from the moons.

After perhaps two hours, the woman stopped by some large boulders in an open clearing where the ground levelled out on the side of the hill. She looked about gauging the distance of the line-of-sight in each direction.

"This is a good place to rest." She declared evenly.

She dropped her shield and weapons up against the boulders. Removing her backpack, she settled down against the boulders and rummaged through its content.

After looking about, Alex followed suit, settling in a spot a short distance from her.

The woman had produced a drinking bladder and a satchel that held small fruits, and then proceeded to eat and drink. Alex did the same.

They sat in silence. Alex had glanced in her direction a few times, wondering if he should strike up a conversation. She seemed not to notice, indicating a general indifference to his presence at best. In fact, he felt that she was no more than barely tolerant.

After a short while, she loosened the straps of her leather outfit and removed her boots. Producing a light blanket from her pack, she laid it out upon ground. Then pulling half of it over herself as she rolled to face away from Alex to go to sleep.

In turn, Alex unrolled the bedroll that he had acquired and followed suit.

A few moments later she broke the silence.

"Monika." she said.

"What?" Alex was confused.

"My name."

Alex smirked and soon drifted off to a light but lengthy slumber.

~O~


	3. Chapter 3

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 3

Loredas the 8th of Sun's Height 4E48

Just before the dawn broke properly, Alex awoke with a start. He looked about through bleary eyes and observed Monika returning from around the other side of the boulders they had camped by. He must have heard her footsteps, he thought.

She looked at him briefly but said nothing.

Alex quickly gathered himself and rose to go behind the boulders to attend to pressing relief. He had noted the soreness of his shoulder and leg had eased notably. Not exactly back to normal, but certainly better.

By the time that he had returned, Monika had just about prepared herself to break camp and resume travel. She waited with an air of affected indifference as Alex rushed to gather his own belongings.

Monika had looked about as Alex packed his gear. The moment that he looked near to done, she had started off in a south-easterly direction. He rushed to catch up with her. He thought about questioning her choice of direction, but then thought it better to avoid inviting any hostile reaction.

Since she had at least grown more tolerant of his company, Alex followed far more closely than the previous day. Monika had tied her hair back in a loose bundle before leaving the resting spot. In the morning light, Alex had noticed that her hair colour was not quite as fair as he had thought. More of a shade of light brown with sun bleaching about the outer layers, much lighter than his own dark hair. He also noted the tone of her skin colour. It seemed to have a bronze tinge to it. Not quite as much as an Altmer or a Bosmer, but it seemed an unusual shade for the effect of tanned skin about the back of her neck. He would have thought her to be a Nord or Imperial at first glance. She seemed far too tall for a typical Breton. With her hair pulled back like that, he had then noticed her ears. Just slightly pointed in the fashion of a Mer. Yet only slightly so. That raised his curiosity.

After a while, Alex dared to try to strike up a conversation.

"Where are you from, Monika?"

She released a sigh, expressing a measure of exasperation. Another moment passed before she chose to answer without looking back at him. "Lots of places."

Not much of an answer. Alex waited a further moment before speaking again. "I have passed all of my life in Falkreath, in Skyrim. Mostly around the family farm, but I spent a lot of time in Falkreath City. Also been to Helgen a few times."

He paused for another moment, but it did not seem as though she was going to say anything, so he continued. "In Falkreath and Helgen I have met people from many of the lands of Tamriel. All the various races of man and mer. I suppose that my point is, I have never met anyone that looks or speaks quite as you do."

Monika stopped and half-turned to glare at him. Alex almost walked into her. With an expression of barely suppressed irritation she responded. "My mother was Altmer." A pause. "My father was Nord."

"Oh," was all that Alex managed. He understood that such a thing was not so common in recent times. Not unheard of, but not common. It was rather frowned upon by nearly all Altmer with their typical airs of racial superiority. It was not particularly popular with Nords or Imperials either. The creation of the Breton race harkened back to the long ago time of the first era, when the Aldmer of High Rock had taken female Nord prisoners as concubines during those earlier wars. Although now rather diluted, all Bretons had some Mer bloodline in their heritage. Although all of that was a long time ago, couplings between the Mer races and human races remained fairly rare. At least that was definitely the case in Skyrim. Alex could not claim to know if that was truly the case in the more heavily mixed populace of Cyrodiil.

Monika had resumed walking and Alex had needed to rush to match her pace. He allowed several long moments to pass before speaking again. "I am still confused over your accent. I have not heard anyone that sounds quite like that. Where do you come from?"

Monika could sense that he was not going let up easily. "I have lived in many places. Cyrodiil, Solstheim, northern Skyrim, High Rock."

That answer seemed to make sense to Alex. No wonder that her accent seemed so strange, if it was shaped by such a broad mix of localities. He chewed upon that information for a while. Mixed heritage. Lived in many different parts of Tamriel. Good fighter, as far he could tell. A surly disposition.

* * *

It was only a short while later that Monika slowed to a halt, interrupting Alex's silent musings. She held out her left hand in a motion that indicated that Alex should stop where he was, which he did. She slowly reached to take hold of her bow as she lowered to a half-crouched position. Alex also crouched and took hold of his hunting bow without knowing quite why.

"What is it?" Alex whispered.

Monika faced him sharply with a short harsh stare, indicating that he should remain fully silent. Returning to looking ahead, she continued to remain still. Alex also looked in that direction. However, all that he could see past the low shrubs in front of them was more trees.

After a short moment, Monika quietly reached into her hip-quiver, selected an arrow and set it to her bow. Not yet drawing back upon the bow, but held at the ready. Alex had quietly done the same.

"Wotcha lookin' at?" Said a rough male voice from ahead. Perhaps about thirty paces away Alex had judged, with just a healthy measure of alarm.

"Dunno, maybe nuthin," said another male voice. "Thought I heard sumthin."

A lengthy paused passed.

"Can't see nuthin." It was the first voice.

"Yeah, musta been a fox or sumthin." That was the second voice again.

Monika glanced back sharply before turning to face forward again. She released one hand from the bow to signal to Alex that he should back up.

Alex checked behind himself before beginning to slowly edge backward, trying his best to remain unseen and unheard.

Allowing a clear space between them, Monika slowly followed. Creeping quietly backwards as she kept her eyes well focussed upon the danger that she believed lay not too far ahead.

Still, despite their best efforts, it soon seemed that they had not remained as quiet as they had intended.

"Hey!" It that was the second voice again.

"Yeah?" That was the rough voice.

"Toldja I heard sumthin. There's sumbody there."

Alex had remained hesitant, waiting to follow Monika's lead. Monika did not hesitate at all. She stood quickly, took careful aim with her bow and released her first arrow. She had already selected her second arrow and drawn back upon the bow by the time that Alex was almost ready for his first shot.

Alex focussed upon the slightly closer target. A medium sized man of unclear origin and rough appearance wearing what looked like leather armour. He could have been Imperial, Breton or Nord. Alex was more concerned about the sword and shield that he wielded than where he was from. That and the closing gap between him and the attacker.

Alex's first arrow had glanced off the attacker's shield. He had only vaguely noticed that Monika had concentrated her shots at the large Orsimer slightly further back, wielding a huge two-handed mace of some sort. The Orc looked armoured. Alex did not have time to think about what kind of armour. He needed to focus upon loosing his arrows toward his own target.

The Orc and the man had spilt left and right as they continued to make their way toward them. Monika had moved off to the right to continue tackling the Orc, still rapidly firing her arrows. Peripherally, Alex had noted that several arrows were sticking out of the Orc, or least his armour.

It was not until his fourth arrow that Alex had finally managed a successful strike. An arrowhead had sliced the left leg of his opponent. The attacker stumbled a little but did not actually stop. All the while, Alex had been steadily stepping backward with each shot, trying to maintain the rapidly reducing distance between them.

Alex had managed a few more slicing shots from grazing arrowheads, but had yet to actually land a serious blow.

Meanwhile, Monika had actually closed the gap between herself and the pin-cushioned Orc. She had dropped her bow and switched to shield and mace in a seamless fashion, engaging the enemy in a fast-moving melee battle. At least fast-moving for her part in it. The Orc did not appear so fast, or quite so healthy for that matter.

Alex seemed firmly stuck in archer mode. However, the attacker had drawn so close that he really should have switched tactic. His backward motion had not served to keep any workable distance between them. As Alex was fumbling his next arrow to his bow, the man was suddenly right in Alex's immediate space ready to strike with his blade. More instinct than anything well thought out, he had struck out with the point of his bow. The edge slipped straight past his attacker's shield and gouged across his brow. The sword had swung low and weakly as he staggered, blood spitting down from the gash. Some of that blood had run down into at least one of his eyes.

That moment had allowed Alex to actually complete the effort of setting an arrow to his bow. He had released the strike as he almost fell over backward, scrambling to place himself out of range of renewed attack. The arrow travelled the short distance from the bow to the soft part just under his attacker's jaw and buried deeply. An expression of determined anger was suddenly replaced by one of surprise and shock with widened-eyes. Alex's own expression much the same. A moment passed as the attacked staggered briefly, then went limp and fell over backwards to the ground.

Alex quickly collected himself and sought out Monika. She was still dancing about the large Orc, landing blows and ducking any sluggish swings by the brute. Alex had his bow at the ready, but there was no opportunity to loose any arrows for fear of harming Monika.

With growing concern, Alex closed toward the ongoing melee. He reluctantly slung his bow and drew the blade that he carried, trying to gauge how he could help without getting in the way.

As Alex continued his approach, Monika landed several sharp jabs alternatively with mace and edge of shield. She certainly seemed to have the Orc on the back foot, but Alex remained fearful that the brute might not go down.

Alex had positioned himself to one side of the fight, desperately seeking the chance to land a damaging strike. Just then, Monika had ended a series of rapid jabs with one forceful blow that smashed in the Orc's face with her mace. The Orc went down from the force of the blow far quicker than Alex would have expected.

Still springing her step, Monika gradually came to an unrestful halt. She stole a rapid glance behind her, gaining certainty that Alex's opponent was properly defeated. Then quickly returned her attention to the Orc. She kick him sharply in the side twice, seeking confirmation that he was as dead as he appeared. Only then did she begin to ease a little. She glanced about in each direction again before briefly meeting Alex's stunned gaze.

Before any words passed between them, Monika quickly dropped to one knee beside the dead Orc. She drew her dagger and cut a knotted red rope from his upper arm. She held it up toward Alex as though it held great importance.

"Red Rope Bandits!" She proclaimed.

Alex did not understand the significance. That was clearly communicated in his face.

"There's a Fighter's Guild reward." Monika explained, actually smiling. "Go get the other one. Anything else of use, as well."

Alex did as she said. He took the rope band from the bandit's arm and checked for whatever else was useful. He did not think the leather attire of any value with the slices in its already tattered state. Not to mention the blood all over it. The bandit's boots were in terrible shape and worthless in his estimation. The water flask would probably be useful. He stuffed that into his knapsack. A coinpurse held about thirty gold pieces. That impressed him just a little. He then noticed an old bulge under the leather vest. Fumbling, Alex retrieved another larger coinpurse. It held at least another fifty-odd gold pieces and a silver ring with a small stone setting. That impressed Alex further. He decided that the sword was probably better than the one he had acquired from the dead hunter. He stashed the old one and took the scabbard for the new one, fixing it in place upon his belt with the sword. He considered the shield. A hardwood construction with metal banding. After managing to dislodge the two arrows from the shield, he held it up and called out.

"What about this shield?" He asked. "Is it any good?"

Without turning from her task, Monika called back. "Better than not having one. You can't use the bow all the time."

Alex felt a little foolish. He realised that she must have noticed his performance with his own opponent somehow. Or at least deduced what he had done.

Alex tested the shield for weight and feel before figuring how best to sling it over his shoulder in a proper fashion. As he did so, he made his way over to Monika. He had not seen whatever she had managed to stuff into her already bulging pack.

"That armour looks like it is probably valuable." Alex suggested. "If you can get those arrows out."

"Yes," Monika agreed, "But it's far too heavy. And way too large to fit you. We leave it. The same with that war-mace."

Alex did not disagree. A thought suddenly came to him. "What about supplies? They cannot have been out here without food. Could they?"

"Over there." Monika indicated with a wave of her hand.

Alex looked in the indicated direction and spotted a small sack by a tree. He walked over to investigate. Inside the sack, he found another two water flasks, both filled. Some assorted fruits and vegetables, seemingly fresh. Also some salted meat in wrappings.

"Fresh food and water" Alex reported.

"Good. We take it."

Alex nodded and looked at the best way to pack it up. He reckoned that he could pack it all into his knapsack without too much trouble. Better than trying to carry the sack as well.

Another thought then came to him.

"I thought you said that the bandit camp was that way." He said, gesturing in the appropriate direction.

"It is." She said. "No one was there."

"You never said that." Alex protested.

"You didn't ask."

Alex gaped at her in disbelief. She appeared to remain unaffected, but the hint of a suppressed smirk at the corner of her mouth said otherwise. He watched on as she finished gathering her equipment and retrieved her bow.

"So, these are the Red Rope Bandits?" Alex prompted.

"Two of them." Monika answered.

"How many are there?"

"About a dozen. According to reports."

"Why would these two be out here? I mean, on their own". He quickly looked about to convince himself that they were still alone.

"Don't know. They might have been split up from others going after the bounty." She gazed off southward.

That made sense to Alex. "What are they wanted for?"

"They've been raiding the northern roads out of Chorrol. Hitting travellers and trade wagons. They keep switching which roads they attack and withdrawing back into the wilderness. Always keeping well clear of any Imperial patrols. Don't lose that red rope. It's worth five-hundred gold pieces back in Chorrol."

"I was on my way to Chorrol… before all of this, that is…" Alex trailed off, not wanting to go into all the details of how he came to be in his current circumstances.

"Well, I'm going to Chorrol. Eventually." Monika said. "After I find the rest of this scum." She added.

"There could be… ten more?"

"Maybe. With any luck, not all in the one place."

Alex let out a deep breath. "Well, I want to get to Chorrol… eventually." Alex paused for another breath. "I will uh… just keep following you. If that is all right?"

With an ironic grin, Monika turned away and started off toward the south. "Suit yourself."

Not a dismissal, Alex thought. He quickly dashed forward to catch up.

After a short while of marching downhill through the trees, Alex spoke up again. "Do you think that we will come across more bandits this way?"

"Maybe," she responded, "Maybe not. Eventually, we'll come cross The Orange Road this way."

Alex did not comment.

"That's the main road between Chorrol and Bruma." She clarified.

* * *

They continued generally southward across the wooded terrain over the following hours. Upon two occasions they were momentary alerted. Once by a pheasant taking flight. The other time by a startled deer bolting from their approach.

Around midday, Monika had halted their travel with a silent signal. She had spotted a brown bear in the forest ahead. Evidently she thought it better to avoid such an encounter, if it was not necessary. Alex felt no inclination to suggest otherwise. They diverted westward for more than an hour before eventually cutting back in a south-easterly direction. As it was, with the rise and fall of the terrain, as well as other varied obstacles, they rarely managed moving in a straight line for any great distance.

With the afternoon growing late, parts of the forest seemed much darker than the hour might suggest. That was quite the case where they had entered a hollow depression surrounded on all sides by higher ground. The trees were not so dense in the hollow itself, but combined with the large trees that surrounded the depression, they provided a thick canopy overhead. The northern boundary of the depression was marked by a partially collapsed cliff-face. The south by a pronounced incline. They were crossing west to east, where the sides were far less steep.

The unexpected danger erupted quickly and with a great deal of noise. Rising from behind a huge fallen tree trunk leaning against the northern cliff face were three large hairy beasts. They screeched and grunted in a guttural fashion. Their great hairy arms reached down past their knees. As they scrambled to get over and around the fallen tree, Alex saw that the beasts seemed to have three eyes upon their faces. He realised that they were Cyrodiil trolls.

By that time, Monika had already drawn her bow and fired off three arrows. Alex fumbled to match her actions, eventually managing join the battle.

Two of the trolls were very large. The third was just large.

Soon, Monika had bested the lesser troll before it managed to close any significant distance. It fell with at least six or seven arrows buried in its hide. Although she had managed to land a few arrows against one of the larger targets, it was rapidly closing upon her. She quickly discarded the bow and switched to mace and shield for melee attack.

Meanwhile, Alex had been firing away with his hunting bow at the other larger troll. If he had not hit that second troll, it might have also converged upon Monika instead of focussing its interest toward him. Still, he had only managed to land three arrows thus far. None of them critical enough to do any more than add to the beast's rage. As the troll closed upon him, Alex managed to put two arrows into the creature's abdomen. Apparently still not damaging enough to halt the advance. The little voice inside Alex's head kept telling him that he should switch to the blade and shield, but he found himself locked in archer mode once again.

Finally, the troll had closed fully upon Alex. In a panic, he tried to repeat his earlier tactic against the bandit. He desperately tried to jab at the troll's face with the end of his bow. It only seemed to further irritate the beast, rather than deliver any significant damage.

As the troll swung its great paw at Alex's head, he ducked the blow, only narrowly escaping the impact as it brushed the tip of his nose. That action left him completely off-balance and he fell backwards, landing hard on his backside. From that vulnerable position, Alex again jabbed hard with the end of the bow, making contact with the troll's unyielding neck. At the same time, he drew his sword with his other hand. Two things occurred simultaneously. The troll lashed out with its massive paw as Alex struck forcefully with the point of his blade. The troll's open paw connected with Alex's head. With the beasts own momentum added to Alex's thrust, the sword pierced the troll under its arm and drove deeply into its chest. That was the last thing that Alex saw before everything went black and silent.

Although Alex knew nothing about it at the time, Monika had managed to put down the troll that she fought. With a few close calls due to the beast's speed and reach, she managed to avoid any injury during the battle. Her own fight had finished too late to prevent the outcome of Alex's circumstance.

* * *

Alex returned to a groggy measure of awareness. He was lying upon his back. The knapsack and thick layer of fallen leaves beneath him caused him to think that he was in his own bed for just a moment. Then he thought that it could not possibly be his own bed. The pillow was absolutely terrible. Through blurred vision, he could see a fair-haired woman leaning down over him. 'It must her bed then', he thought. She was whispering something as she held her hands out toward him. Alex wished he could remember her name. He must have been drinking. He thought that he did not do that any more. 'This is not going to go so well', he thought to himself, he could hardly even move.

Just then, a bright light almost blinded him. He squinted his eyes and tried to shrink back from the harsh brightness.

"Uh…what is that?" Alex mumbled almost incoherently.

"Quiet." Snapped the woman atop of him.

She whispered to him again and another bright flash of light assaulted his senses.

In the moments that followed, Alex noticed that a throbbing pain about his temples was beginning to fade. He had also begun to slowly regain some sense of exactly what had led to his current circumstance. 'We were attacked by trolls,' he remembered. 'Monika. That was her name.' He realised he was not in her bed after all. He stopped short with that thought.

"What happened?" Alex managed to ask weakly.

"You were injured." Monika replied evenly.

"Did I kill it?"

"Yes."

"Well… that makes me feel better."

Alex tried to get up, but felt his head spin with the effort.

"Just lay still," Monika instructed, "I can probably manage this only once more."

Alex did not possess the strength to do otherwise. Monika again whispered a spell or prayer. Then she released a ball of light that washed over him, further easing his pain and weakness. Alex had only ever seen priests or healers do that before.

Monika seemed visibly drained from the effort. Then she rummaged through her pack before producing a small vial of green coloured liquid. She uncapped it and brought it up to Alex's mouth as she held his head slightly forward.

"Drink this." She said, rather less harshly than she had previously spoken to him.

Alex took a sip of the liquid, but almost choked on the bitter liquid.

"Horrible." He protested. "What is it?"

"It's a healing potion. Drink it down. All of it. You need it."

Alex did as he was told, trying it swallow it down quickly to avoid the taste of it, which did not really help at all.

"Here, take some water." She said, bringing a water bladder up to his mouth. "Just a few sips though. You don't want to dilute the potion too much."

"Thank you." Alex said, after a few difficult sips of water.

"You need to rest." Monika sat back upon her haunches and looked about. It was growing dark. Not just because of the forest canopy, but because the sun had set.

Standing, Monika continued. "We'll camp here for the night, I think." After a pause. "If those trolls have been here for a while, it's fairly unlikely that anything else comes around this hollow. I'll check the area properly. If it's clear, we stay."

Alex stirred just a bit, trying to look around.

Monika waved him back down. "You just stay there and rest."

Alex watched as she moved off out of his reach of sight. He closed his eyes for just a short moment.

* * *

Alex opened his eyes. He could hear the crackling of a small campfire that Monika was busy feeding with some short branches. He realised that he had been moved. He was now lying by the large fallen tree that the trolls had emerged from behind. His bedroll was beneath him. The rest of his equipment in a neat pile nearby. The bodies of the three trolls seemed to have been dragged out of sight. He wondered how long he had been sleeping.

"Is it safe for us to have a fire?" Alex asked quietly.

Monika turned and looked at him for a lengthy moment. "It should be safe enough down in this hollow. I'll keep it low." She had also cleared away the leaves and detritus in a small circle about the fire.

She moved over to examine him more closely, checking his head left and right. "How are feeling, now? She asked.

"Better, I think. But tired."

"The wounds that I can see, look much better." She commented. "It's what I can't see…" She trailed off.

"I should be better by the morning." Alex offered hopefully.

"Probably." Monika responded without commitment. "You've been out for a few hours. You should eat something, then get back to sleep."

Alex tried to reach for his pack.

Monika gently pressed him back down and took the pack from his reach. "Stay." She insisted. "I'll handle it."

She selected a few suitable items from the knapsack. She roasted a piece of salted meat and a tomato over the fire, which she brought to him after a short while. Alex ate the hot food with some cheese and water. He thought it the best meal that he had eaten over the past few days.

With a full belly and rising drowsiness, Alex soon drifted off back to sleep as Monika prepared some food for herself.

~O~


	4. Chapter 4

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 4

Sundas the 9th of Sun's Height 4E48

Alex was woken by a hand upon his shoulder. It was Monika trying to rouse him. He opened his eyes to the twilight of just before the dawn, wondering if something was wrong. He had noted that the fire had long since died down to warm ash and light fog hugged the ground throughout the hollow.

"What is it?" He murmured. "Trouble?"

"No trouble. How is your head?" She asked as she examined his temples.

"Um… much better, I think."

"The wounds are nearly gone. The potion has done a good job."

Alex felt the sides of his face and head. Several lines of healed up cuts were apparent, as well as a tingling about his right cheekbone where he touched it. He also noticed the long stubble that had covered his face from several days without shaving.

"Will I be scarred?" He asked with some concern.

"Probably not. Not with such fast healing. Only faintly, if anything."

"Okay, then." He felt a little relieved.

"How well do you feel then?"

"Well enough, I think. Well enough to move on."

Monika looked a little sceptical, but nodded acceptance.

"Let's get you up and we'll see."

Alex rose slowly, testing that his body conformed to his will. He stretched and paced back and forth a few times. "See? I am fine."

"Okay then." She accepted.

"I uh… need to go behind the bushes."

"Well, go then."

He sought a discreet location and did so.

When Alex returned, Monika directed him to his knapsack. "You should eat some food before we head off. Eat some meat. It will help to maintain strength as you heal."

"Okay."

As Alex chewed on some dried meat, Monika checked her own gear in preparation.

"Just for future reference," she said. "If I receive a head wound like that, do not let me sleep. Unless you have healing skills that you've not spoken of."

"Uh, yes. I mean, no I do not. I mean I… I understand."

Monika's response was a shake of her head with a crooked grin.

As Monika finished gathering all her gear, Alex followed suit. He noted that several arrows had been returned to his quiver. Monika must have retrieved them for him. He turned to thank her, but she had already started off. He rushed to catch up.

* * *

After making their way out of the hollow, they started heading off toward the south-west. It had remained fairly uneventful throughout the morning. Clouds had begun to move in by the mid-morning, but it did not really seem like it was going to rain. The cloud cover remained fairly high.

Eventually, the forest had thinned out as they came upon an area of rocky outcrops where the land fell away to lower hills. It was more heavily forested upon those hills below, extending for quite a distance off to the south. From the vantage of one outcrop, Alex could see the high walls of what look to him like a city. He had asked Monika about it and she confirmed that it was Chorrol. It was still quite far off in the distance. He assumed that the city must be quite large. Certainly much bigger than Falkreath. That city did not even have walls. Although much of Helgen was behind fortified wooden walls, it was more of a sizeable township than a city. It did not present as so large from such a distance.

Their path had forced them to turn eastward to negotiate the broken terrain. In order to pass, they needed to cross a narrow ledge where a spring cascaded from the cliffs above down to a rocky flow below. Across the other side of that ledge lay a hillside and a downward slope that led to more manageable land below. It seemed like the best way ahead. It was either proceed ahead that way or else turn back in the other direction.

The water from the spring was clean and cool. They took the opportunity to drink and replenish their supply of water before continuing across to the sloping hillside ahead.

Just as they were about to fully clear the narrow path, Monika froze in place. Alex had stopped just behind her, then cautiously backed up a step. Monika quietly drew her bow, but otherwise remained quite still. Fully alert, Alex tried to be just as quiet as he also took hold of his hunting bow.

As they waited, they both heard a low grumbling growl coming from just ahead. The source of the sound was out of sight, coming from behind the rock face that marked the edge of the path to the slope ahead. Then they heard the heavy footfalls. Alex thought that he could actually feel the vibration in the rock beneath his feet.

Monika leaned forward slightly, trying to peer ahead. Then, in swift motion, she had selected an arrow from her hip-quiver and sprang forward. As she cleared the edge of the path, quickly moving off to the right, she turned left with arrow at the ready and shouted. "Ogre!"

Alex moved forward, staying clear of Monika's firing line, as he readied an arrow to his own bow. He saw the ogre. It was huge and pale. Somewhat human-like in shape with a massive body, but with a tiny head. Its hands were as big as Alex's head. One of Monika's arrows was already embedded in the soft part of its left shoulder.

Alex had fired and missed. Monika had already released about three shots as Alex reached for his second. Monika had placed two more arrows into the Ogre as it raged in its guttural tones.

Arrows continued to fly. Alex had managed only two impacts. One had grazed and sliced the side of the ogre's head. The other had pierced through the flab on the side of its massive abdomen. Several of Monika's strikes had landed far more effectively. However, none had done enough to seriously damage the brute.

With the lumbering creature closing upon them, Monika quickly switched to mace and shield, just as Alex had observed during previous encounters. She drew to one side and commenced direct melee attack. Rapidly striking and dodging in quick succession.

Alex moved around to the opposite side and released another arrow, which buried deeply in the ogre's huge buttock. Not a critical strike, but the brute howled in pain. Exercising some better judgement, matched with his fear of accidentally hitting Monika, he dropped his bow and drew sword and shield.

Alex shifted about ineffectively, seeking opportunity to strike, as Monika continued to duck, weave and land blows upon the ogre.

Finally, Alex acquired an opening. Lunging in with forward leg bent low, he stabbed at the brute. His blade slid in between two ribs in the back of its mid-section. Unfortunately, his sword had gone in far too well. He was unable to pull it free. He was forced to release his grip upon the hilt and back away as the ogre started to fail about wildly, howling even more than before.

As the ogre continued to wildly swing its arms about, Alex considered his discarded hunting bow versus the shield that he still held. Just then, the brute's flailing had resulted in a wild swing that struck Monika, sending her hurtling toward the exposed rock face at her side.

As Alex realised that Monika had gone down, he rushed forward and slammed the ogre repeatedly from behind with his shield, before backing off just as quickly. He had managed to gain its attention, but did not like his chances for the coming moments.

The ogre reared and railed at him with its arms waving high, roaring loudly. In an act of desperation, Alex bellowed back at the creature. "FUS!"

Alex's voice was accompanied by a blast of force, sent forth as though driven by the power of a violent storm.

The ogre was struck by the full force of the effect, almost lifted from the ground, as it was hurled backward and then tumbled over the edge of the cliff to the rocks below.

"What… what was that?" Monika called out weakly from where she lay upon the ground near the rock face.

"It was me." Alex responded breathlessly. Then he slowly collapsed, falling down onto his hands and knees. He did not actually lose consciousness. However, he remained fully unable to move for several moments.

Eventually, Alex had regained enough strength to move. Although not enough to actually get up. Through force of will, he managed to crawl over toward Monika.

It was obvious that she was injured, but he could not tell just how badly. Some blood had matted the hair on the left side of her head and some more blood had trickled from her nose. Alex had tried to rouse her, but she was not responding. He recalled what she had said earlier about head wounds. He wanted to wake her, but he had no idea of the extent of her injury, and he feared for making things worse. He reached for his flask and splashed her face with water.

"Monika! Wake up. Monika!"

Her eyes fluttered. "Mmm?"

"Monika! You must not sleep."

"Hmm wake." She slurred.

"You need to stay awake."

"I… I'm not going…" She trailed off, her head lolling.

"Monika!" Alex shouted. He continued splashing water at her and calling her name, but he remained unable to draw her back to consciousness.

Panicking, Alex looked about, hoping that his shouting had not drawn any other hostile attention from nearby. There was nothing as far as he could tell. His state of panic remained. He had no idea what to do. He knew nothing about healing spells or the like. Not much more about healing in general, for that matter. Monika was still breathing. Still alive. Yet, the extent of her injury remained unknown.

He reached around into Monika's pack and rummaged around until he found some potion vials inside. He took them and examined each. He found three red tinted vials that contained green liquid that looked like what she had made him drink the previous day. They each had the same marking upon them. The symbol for 'medicine', but nothing to clearly state that they were healing potions. Cautiously, he took a sip from one. It seemed to be the same horrible taste that he recalled. He tried again to rouse her, without success. With great caution, he tried to drip just a few drops into her mouth. He was worried that she might choke if he tried for anything more.

Alex got up and looked about again to convince himself that there was no imminent danger in sight. He also noted the body of the ogre dashed upon the rocks below. It still had his sword in its back, but there was no easy way to get to it.

He vaguely rummaged through his knapsack to retrieve that old short-sword that he had previously stashed in there. He also retrieved his discarded hunting bow and then returned to Monika's side.

He still felt helpless in the circumstance. He also felt that their position was far too exposed, out in the open like that. He decided that they needed to get somewhere with much better cover. He remembered that hollow where they had camped the previous night. However, that was much too far away and he was not even certain that he could find it again. He looked down the slope to the forest below. He did not know what was down there, but it would certainly be less exposed than where they were.

He decided upon his immediate course of action, for better or worse. He discarded everything but his knapsack, flask and sword, leaving it all in a neat pile by the rock face. He then relieved Monika of her pack and other equipment, making a pile next to his own items. With great care, he gently lifted her up into his arms. She did not stir at all. Once confident of his balance, he made his way carefully down the hillside to the forest.

He only walked a short distance into the forest. He selected a spot where the fallen leaves had piled by the base of a large tree and gently set Monika down. He checked her again, satisfying himself that she was still breathing. He was still unable to wake her.

Alex briefly scouted the immediate area. Once convinced that it was safe, he returned to Monika and checked her again. Nothing had changed.

He headed off back up the hill to retrieve the equipment that he had left behind. He wasted no time, returning as quickly as possible.

Alex immediately checked on Monika upon his return to her location. He still had no luck at all when he tried to wake her. With some measure of desperation, he tried again to drip a few drops of the healing potion into her mouth. He had no idea if it would do any good, but he felt that he needed to try.

He remembered that Monika had previously mentioned a map, though he had not seen it. He rummaged through her pack and eventually found the scroll. He unfurled it and examined it at length. He soon concluded that it did not help at all. He held no clear idea of exactly where they were on that map. He could only draw some broad conclusions based upon the approximate direction to Chorrol and the knowledge that The Orange Road lay somewhere south of their location. Still, that left it all very much open to interpretation.

It was approaching mid-afternoon. Alex was not entirely happy with remaining at their current location. Especially so, given their current circumstances. Anxious to be doing something, Alex elected to progress further southward through the forest.

It was slow and staggered progress through the forest. He firstly scouted ahead carrying the equipment. Once he found a relatively safe location, he stashed his burden and then returned for Monika. He repeated that activity a few times. Each time, he had again checked Monika. Her condition remained unchanged, which did not at all improve his own disposition. Perhaps the only good fortune being that he had not encountered anything more than startled birds as he moved through the forest.

It was during his fourth scouting expedition that he found something. There was a small overgrown clearing in the forest with a small farmhouse. As he cautiously approached the structure, he could see that it appeared abandoned, in a state of disrepair. However, he was not about to take that for granted. He quietly set down most of his burden and armed himself. The door to the building was open. He firstly scouted around the structure before becoming fully satisfied that there was not anyone or anything about. Maintaining his caution, his checked inside the farmhouse. It took only a moment to confirm his belief that the place had been long abandoned. Indications were that no one had lived there many years. Still, aside from a few small holes that he could see in the roof, it seemed like a good place to shelter.

Alex quickly rushed back to retrieve Monika from where he had left her.

It was quite late in the afternoon by the time that Alex had delivered Monika to the old farmhouse. In truth, he estimated that the place was only about half an hour of travel from where they had fought the ogre. However, the laborious manner of their journey had taken several hours to achieve.

There was a broken bed by one wall that was completely useless. Alex had unfurled his bedroll and set Monika down upon it. He had again administered a few drops of healing potion in the same fashion as before.

With the approach of the evening, he considered that the old fireplace would prove to be useful. Although it would not be particularly cold that time of year, he thought that the warmth from the fire might help Monika's condition.

Alex went out to gather firewood in the fading light. As he did so, he almost fell into an old well. The frame of the well had been smashed to suitable firewood. Nearby, he found a large wooden bucket that was still intact. As was the chain that was still attached to it by a hook. He lowered the bucket and found that the well still had water. He did not think it looked suitable to drink, but certainly okay for washing. He returned to the house alternately with firewood and then water.

Once the fireplace was burning, Alex found an upturned metal pot suitable for warming some water. In Monika's pack, he found an item of old clothing suitable to serve as a washcloth. He carefully cleaned her head wound and washed her hair. He loosened the fastenings of her leather outfit and removed her boots to make her more comfortable. He was not aware of any other obvious injuries, so did not disturb her any further except to administer more drops of healing potion. He wished that he could wake her long enough to actually drink a proper dose of the potion, but it was not to be.

Alex had managed to close the broken door to the farmhouse with minor effort. He felt somewhat safer, confident that the place was secluded enough to have remained untouched in recent time.

Since he could do no more than wait, he washed himself and shaved the stubble from his face that had grown over the past few days. With a passing sense of guilt, he ate and drank as he watched over Monika.

He sat leaning against the wall for several hours as he mulled over his troubled thoughts. Trying to decide upon alternative courses of action according to each of the possibilities that he could think of. Eventually, he gave in to rising weariness and slipped into a fitful slumber.

~O~


	5. Chapter 5

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 5

Morndas the 10th of Sun's Height 4E48

Alex awoke upon the floor of the farmhouse. At some point, he had slid down from his seated position and settled up against the base of the wooden wall. It took only a moment for him to recall the events of the previous day.

Stirring, he moved over to check upon Monika. The slow and steady rise and fall of her chest eased his first concern. He called to her in moderate tones, but remained unable to rouse her. As he had done several times before, he administered a few drops of the healing potion past her lips.

He took his weapons with him as he went outside to attend his own needs by a convenient tree. Aside from the noises of morning birds, the forest beyond the clearing remained quiet. He decided to scout just a little further afield. He observed that the woods did not extend very far to the west before clearing to a steep and sharp rise to an exposed rocky hillside. To the south, the forest seemed to remain fairly thick as far as he could see. Over to the east, the forest thinned after a short way. A more sparsely wooded hillside gently rose up. He did not go far in any direction. He did not want to stray from the immediate vicinity. Once confident of no obvious danger nearby, he circled back to the farmhouse.

After drinking some water, Alex again checked upon Monika. Perhaps two hours had passed by. He decided to try for a few more drops of the potion. As he dripped the liquid to her lips, she stirred.

"Hmm?" Monika murmured.

"Are you awake?" Alex prompted quietly.

"Hmm…yeah." She confirmed, after a pause. She had yet to open her eyes.

"Monika, you need to drink this."

"Drink… what?"

"Healing potion. You have been injured."

"Oh, yeah. Good idea." She opened her eyes with some effort and saw that Alex was holding the vial of green liquid near to her mouth. With further effort, she tried to her raise her head and winced in pain. She accepted the potion as Alex held it to her lips and swallowed it all down in one go. Alex had surmised from her expression that she found it just as distasteful as he did. She relaxed back and closed her eyes again.

"Will that be enough?" Alex asked.

"Um… enough for now, I 'spose."

"I was not able to wake you at all. I have been placing a few drops into your mouth every few hours."

"Hmm, good thinking."

"Should I let you sleep?"

"I should rest, but it won't matter so much whether I sleep or not."

"Okay."

After another moment, Monika spoke again. "Where are we?"

"I found an abandoned farmhouse a short distance from where we fought the ogre. It is surrounded by forest on all sides. I have scouted out a short way in each direction. It seems safe enough."

"Sounds like." She agreed. "The ogre. What happened?"

"It went wild after I stabbed it in the back. It hit you and knocked you into the rocks."

"Yeah, I remember." She partially opened her eyes "The ogre, what happened to it?"

"Dead."

"I figured that. But what happened?" She paused. "You… you yelled at it… and then it fell over the cliff."

"Uh, yes." Alex conceded.

"That… was no Nord battle cry. I felt the wind rushing past me."

Alex remained silent.

"How?" Monika's question an open one.

"It is a long story."

"Well… I'm not going anywhere, right now."

"Um… it started with my grandfather, I suppose. Erik Pinewatch." Alex paused to stop and think about it.

"Okay…" Monika pressed him to continue.

"It was years ago, when he was still a fairly young man. He had just decided to put his days of adventuring aside and settle down near Falkreath with my grandmother. That was when he received a message to visit the old monastery up on The Throat of the World. The tallest mountain in Skyrim. In all of Tamriel, I think. There are these old monks that live way up there on the mountain. They seemed to know who he was and claimed some matter of great importance. In any event, he decided to travel up there to find out why they had sent for him."

Alex paused a moment.

"Go on." Monika prompted.

"Well, they told him things about prophecies of dragons and the end of the world, and things like that. He was not exactly certain what to believe, but he was curious enough to hear them out. They talked about the magic of the old Dragon Tongue, and Dragon Lords, and the prophesised coming of the Dragonborn and so on. Then, they wanted to test him because they believed he some sort of dragon reborn as a mortal or some such."

Alex paused again.

"Well, was he?" Monika asked.

"Not exactly, no. They taught him that Dragon Tongue word, then examined him for a while. After that, they decided that he was not who they were searching for. They said that one of his forefathers must have been one. That was why he showed some of the signs. They said it was not in his spirit. It was in his blood, but only weakly so."

"Is that what happened to you?" Monika asked.

"Oh, no. I have never been anywhere near that place. My grandfather taught me what he knew. I was only fifteen when he showed me. He only knew just that one word of the Dragon Tongue and how to make it… make it become what it actually means. It nearly drains me as much as what it causes… when I shout the word."

"Well, it certainly saved us both yesterday. Was it yesterday? How long have I been…"

"Yes, it was yesterday." Alex replied. "It has not quite been a full day since the ogre."

"Oh, good."

A moment of silence passed between them.

"So what happened with your grandfather after that? At the monastery."

"Oh… well, the old monks wanted to train him for something anyway. I do not remember what that was about. Maybe he never actually told me. Either way, he told them that he was not interested. He returned to my grandmother and settled down at Pinewatch Farm. He lived there until the day he died as an old man. That was more than ten years back."

"Okay," Monika mused, "So you have this power, but you can hardly use it."

"That is about the size of it. I only tried it yesterday out of desperation. A last resort. It left me almost completely helpless. I doubt that I could do it again for a few days."

"Got it."

Another lengthy silence fell.

At length, Monika spoke up. "Tell me about this Pinewatch then."

"Why?" Alex was surprised that she would ask.

"Nothing better to do, right now. Go on."

Alex felt a bit self-conscious, but nonetheless composed himself before starting. "Well, grandfather Erik and grandmother Illiana built up the farm. It was just a tiny place when they first bought it. They had extended the crop fields to make it capable of yielding enough produce to actually become a decent supply farm. They ran sheep and cattle in the lower fields. It was not like a big livestock farm, but enough to produce some market sales. They needed to employ a farm hand by the time that my mother was born. Her name was Freida. Born on a Fredas. It was around that time that they extended the farmhouse and made it much larger. About twice as big as it was. Probably three times the size of this place. They also built the farmhand's cabin about then. My mother's sister was born about two years after that, but she died when she was still a baby."

After a short pause he continued. "Obviously, my mother grew up and she met my father in Falkreath. His name was William. He originally came from Helgen. He had no last name. He took the family name after he married my mother. My father was called up to go to war for the Empire when I was just a child. I would have been only about six, I think. I was told that he fought for Bruma in the wars before Titus Mede became ruler. My father never came back. It was about six years after that…" Alex stopped his rambling. He realised that Monika had fallen asleep.

* * *

Alex had left Monika alone to rest for a while. Since he thought that they would possibly be remaining at that farmhouse for a few days, he figured that he might as well busy himself attending to tasks that might make for a comfortable stay. He spent some time collecting firewood for the fireplace. He went back to the well. He found just one barrel by the side of the house that was intact almost all the way to the top. He decided to draw water from the well and fill the barrel up the point that it began leaking. He still did not consider that water fit for drinking, but they had enough drinking water in their flasks and bladders.

Taking his hunting bow, he decided to scout the forest for a while to see if he could spot any game. His other motive to again check for any dangers nearby. Neither objective met with anything. He did not really want to learn of any dangers, but had hoped to spot a rabbit, or a deer, or something of that kind. Nonetheless, Alex returned to the old farmhouse empty-handed.

Objectively, Alex had considered that he had managed to successfully waste most of the day. Although keeping himself fully occupied, he did not feel that he had achieved much.

* * *

Upon returning to the farmhouse, Alex saw that Monika was still lying in the bedroll as before. However, she was awake again.

"Where were you?" She asked lightly.

"I, uh… I thought I should leave you to rest for a while. I have collected wood for the fireplace. I have also scouted the area again. I thought that I might be able to bring back some game from the forest, but…"

"We should still have enough food in our packs." She offered.

"Yes, I think so," Alex said. "You should probably eat."

"I'm not really hungry. Maybe just some water."

"Are you sure?"

"Maybe just some cheese then. And some water." She paused. "I'm still too weak…"

"Do not worry. I will get it for you." Alex offered.

"You'll probably need to feed it to me, I think."

"Okay." Alex agreed.

Alex cut a few pieces of cheese to bit sized and fed it to her. Also giving her some water from a flask.

"Not too much water." Monika advised. "I'll need more healing potion. There should be two more red vials in my pack."

Alex retrieved one vial of the green liquid. "How much should you have?"

"All of it." She said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, all of it."

Alex knew no better. He did as she asked.

"How long do you think before you will be better?" Alex asked.

"I don't know. Hopefully tomorrow. We'll see."

Alex accepted her answer, but he was rather worried. Rather more than he let on. He thought that since his own injuries had mostly healed overnight with a healing potion, that Monika's injuries must be more severe than he could tell. Possibly more than she would openly admit to him. Nonetheless, he left the matter alone, at least for the moment.

With the evening setting in, Alex restarted the flames in the fireplace, adding some more wood. He set about preparing some food for himself.

"You were telling me about your father." Monika mentioned.

Alex paused a moment. "Oh, this morning? You fell asleep."

"You were saying that your father went off to war when you were a child."

"Um, okay…" Alex realised that she was prompting him to continue his story. "Yes, my father off to fight for Bruma. That was when the whole Empire was under dispute. Without any ruler and all the provinces were fighting one another."

"Yeah, I know all about that."

"Of course… Well, I was only about six when he left. He never came back. We were told that he died with other soldiers from Bruma in one of the battles. I do not really know much about it. By then, it was just my mother and I, and my grandfather and grandmother at Pinewatch. Oh, and the two farmhands, as well. About six years later, my grandmother died during the winter. She was very old by then. She was originally from Cyrodiil. I do not think that she was very good with the cold. Grandfather tried to stay strong, but I could tell it was…"

Alex paused for a moment. Monika was still listening intently, so he continued.

"Since I was young, Grandfather Erik had been more like a father than my long gone father. Although he was quite old, he had taught me all about the farm. He had taught me what he knew of hunting. Not that I really needed to do much hunting around the farm. He showed me how use that Dragon Tongue trick when I was fifteen. That was down the back fields. I was sickly for two days after that. My mother really gave him a tongue lashing over that. Not that it stopped us from trying again about a month later. It did not affect me quite so badly the second time. What I did not know at the time, was that my grandfather did not have much more time."

Alex paused again. Monika had closed her eyes and it seemed that she again fallen asleep. After another moment, he was sure of it.

Alex had some food and water. Then he made sure that the fire was stoked well enough to keep the old farmhouse quite warm inside. More for Monika's benefit than his own.

He busied himself checking the content of his knapsack for a little while. Rearranging it all so that it would fit better. He checked his arrows and other weapons and generally tidied up the place a bit.

Eventually, he ran out of things to do and settled down to sleep for the night. He remained worried over Monika's slow recovery. He hoped that the next day would bring about positive change. Although he was genuinely worried for her well being, he was not entirely comfortable with being the one who was able-bodied and taking the lead. Monika had seemed to always know what she was doing and Alex knew that he was just making it up as he went along. At some point, his thoughts had worn him down and he had drifted off to sleep for the evening.

~O~


	6. Chapter 6

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 6

Tirdas the 11th of Sun's Height 4E48

It was after midnight, possibly about two hours past that, when Alex awoke with a start. He had heard something in the farmhouse. There was still just enough of a glow from the fireplace to see. He was just beginning to fumble for a weapon, when he realised that the shadow that he could see was Monika. She had partly gotten up from the bedroll and stumbled as she tried to get up properly.

"Monika?" Alex called to her. "What is it? Are you all right?"

"Ugh." Monika groaned. "Better than before."

"Should you be up?" he asked, rising from the floor.

"I'm… I'm more impressed… that I CAN... get up."

Alex moved to help her. She looked like she was about to fall down. He helped her to sit back down.

"I need to go." She said.

"You are not in any condition…"

"No… I need to go… Look, can you just get me that pot under that busted bed?"

"Huh?"

"It's under there. Look."

Alex looked in the shadows under the broken bed and saw what she was talking about. He reached down underneath to retrieve the pot. He turned back to her and saw that she was fumbling to unbuckle her leather outfit.

"I will just go outside." He said.

"You don't… Okay, then. I won't be long."

Alex stepped outside for a while. Since he was awake and outside, he went off to take a leak. He waited for a while longer before timidly knocking at the door.

"It's okay." Monika said.

Alex came back in. Monika had lay back down upon the bedroll. She had left her leathers lying in a pile on the fall. She was only wearing her underclothes. Alex had noticed severe bruising about her ribs on her right side and another dark bruise about her left shoulder, before lowering his eyes and looking away.

"Could… could I get you to get rid of that?" Monika indicated the pot over by the wall.

Alex nodded and took care of it. He returned quickly, but avoided looking at Monika directly in her state of undress.

"I… I only have one more vial… of healing potion." Monika said. It seemed fairly obvious that she was in pain. "Could I get you… to find it for me?"

Alex went to her pack and did as she asked. She held out her hand and Alex gave her the vial. He was still trying not to look at her, embarrassed at the necessary intrusion. She drank down the potion quickly.

"Water?" she requested.

Alex handed her the water bladder from her pack. She took just a few sips and then handed it back. Alex needed to put the stopper back in, as she seemed unable.

"The potions… must be working." She said. "At least, I can move now."

"You are still too weak…" Alex suggested.

"Oh yeah. But now… now I can move my arms and legs. Up… up until just now, I thought that I might be finished." She made another groaning noise. "Now… now I can… actually feel… how much I hurt."

Alex suddenly understood what she had meant by not being able to move, or feel the extent of her injuries.

"You should probably keep resting then." He said.

"No… no choice… about that." She tried to pull the cover of the bedroll over herself, struggling with it. Alex moved to her side and helped her with it, before withdrawing again. Monika closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep within moments.

Alex sat and thought about things for a short while, before deciding to go back to sleep for the remainder of the hours before dawn.

* * *

The sounds of the morning birds outside had eventually roused Alex from his sleep shortly after the dawn. He checked upon Monika. She was still sleeping. He did not want to disturb her rest. He went outside for a short while. He returned with some more firewood from the pile that he had made outside. He tried to remain quiet as he gently placed each piece of wood down, then tried to get the fireplace burning properly again.

"I'm awake." Monika said quietly from behind him.

"Oh." He responded, focussing upon the fire. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a broken down farmhouse. But at least I can feel it." She paused. "I suppose that I must be improving." She added, trying to sound positive.

"Do you think that you are up to eating something?" Alex asked.

"I think that I probably should." She sat up and started to get out of the bedroll.

"Just stay there." He insisted. "I will prepare some proper food for you."

"Okay". She eased back.

Alex set about the task. He roasted some of the salted meat that they had. He also used that larger pot that he had previously used for warming water to boil up some vegetables from their supplies.

Once ready, he brought food over to Monika. Only taking a rather small portion for himself. He did not need much, but she had hardly eaten since the ogre fight and really needed some proper food to help her body heal.

She sat up to eat, leaning forward. Alex again averted his eyes after catching sight of her breast cleavage exposed from her underclothes. It was not as though he had not had his ample share of experience after excitable nights at the taverns of Falkreath and Helgen. This situation was wholly different. He felt awkward and guilty over even recognising that she was a woman.

After finishing her meal, Monika had settled back to rest again. After a few moments, she spoke up.

"So, what brought you down from Skyrim?" Monika asked.

"Well, my mother died recently." Alex said.

"Oh."

"I did not really want to stay at Pinewatch, with everyone gone. I decided to leave it behind and set off into Cyrodiil looking for adventure. Just like my grandfather did when he was a young man."

"Well, here's your adventure then." Monika started to chuckle, but had to stop because it hurt too much.

"Yes, I suppose." Alex smiled ironically. Hoping to avoid talking about how he actually came to be wandering on foot with limited equipment, he directed the conversation away from himself. "What about you? How did you come to be hunting bandits across Cyrodiil?"

"Heh, that's a long story." Monika said.

"Well, we are not going anywhere, right now." Alex prompted with a grin.

"Heh-heh, ouch." She paused, reminding herself not laugh. "Okay then, where do I start?" She pondered for another moment.

"Probably, at the beginning, I might suggest."

"Okay then. The beginning. Well… I was actually born in the Imperial City. Just a few days after Martin Septim lit the dragon fire and ended the Oblivion Crisis."

"What?" Alex interrupted. "That cannot be right." He thought about it for a quick moment. "That was forty-eight years ago. You seem no older than me."

"Is that a compliment?" She toyed with him.

"I, um… I am only just twenty-seven…"

"Then, I suppose it must have been." She grinned. "Anyway, I was born in the Imperial City. My mother worked for the Imperial Trading Company at the time. She worked for the traders at the company warehouse down on the waterfront. In the office by the docks. She worked in the Market District of the city before that. As I told you, my mother is Altmer. Born and bred in the Imperial City, not one of those Summerset Isle snobs. Lived all her life there by that time. My father is a Nord. Born in Cyrodiil too, but his parents were originally from Skyrim. He was a sailor back then. He'd been all over. Wherever the ships took him."

"They met down at the docks." Monika continued. "Eventually, they ended up getting married. Not long after that, I came along."

"I would have been only about three years old when we left the city, so I don't really remember it from back then. Only what I was told later. But I do know they had a few reasons for leaving. The assassination of the Emperor, then the Oblivion Crisis. That was part of it. Also with the Elder Council having trouble with some of the leaders of the provinces. I also remember that my mother really hated her boss and my father was concerned about pirates starting to sneak up the Niben Bay from southern waters. In any event, we relocated to the far north."

Monika paused to take a sip of water.

"My father had secured ongoing work with the East Empire Company at a northern outpost. We moved up to a settlement near Fort Frostmoth, up on the southern coast of Solstheim. It was bloody cold up there in the winter. Not so bad in the summer. Once we were there, my mother got to work at the company warehouse there. My father worked on the ships again. Mostly short runs between Skyrim and Morrowind."

"I was only five or six, I think, when things changed. That was when Vivec City and all of Vvardenfell were destroyed. With the mountain exploding and all that. Obviously, trade was in chaos. There was the big influx of Dunmer refugees to Solstheim."

"I remember the stories about that." Alex interjected.

"Hmm, yes." She affirmed. "Things were bad, and Solstheim was becoming way too crowded, and not with work opportunities. We moved to Solitude from there. My father was able to get some work with the company at the Solitude port. Using his previous connections. But really, work was still fairly lean at that time. We weren't up there for all that long. Maybe two or three years. A bit less, I think."

"Once they'd saved up enough to travel, we headed off for High Rock. We ended up settling in the port city of Wayrest. Now, that place was really booming compared to the far north. It still is. Probably the wealthiest trade location in High Rock. Far enough away to be relatively unaffected by the troubles of Cyrodiil or the loss of most of Morrowind. They both worked for other traders for a while. Eventually, they were able to set up their own trade and merchant business. I worked for them once I was old enough. Well, on and off, that is. They're still there with their business. They're doing quite well. They have several employees. My father doesn't do so much now. He's getting too old for it, but my mother is still in her prime."

Alex remembered that Altmer lived much longer, and age more slowly. As was fairly obvious from Monika's appearance, even though she was only half-Altmer.

"But what brought you back to Cyrodiil?" Alex prompted, because she had stopped her story again.

"Oh, a few things. Mostly, I just wanted to get away… and I wanted to see where I came from." She seemed a little evasive about something. "I made my way to Cyrodiil and the Imperial City about eight years back. It was a new age, with a new Emperor. I want to see for myself. I did try some merchant work when I first arrived, but that became boring fairly quickly."

"I'd met up with a few adventuring types when I'd done some trade runs to Chorrol and Bravil. I got to talking with them, and that got me thinking. So, I did some training with the Fighter's Guild and learned that I had some skill for it. Needed some more training before I was any good. After a while, I joined the Guild and started doing some work for them. Usually sent out with teams of other more experienced members to begin with. A few months later, just paired up with one of the senior fighters. Then eventually, I started to get more solo missions. Even some mentor jobs with some of the fresh recruits."

"That worked out nicely for me, for a couple of years. I got into trouble when I messed up a job in Skingrad. I won't go into it, but it got me suspended for a short while, and I was banned from doing work for the Skingrad office. After that, I stepped back from the Guild a little bit. Started taking independent contracts and bounty work from the Chorrol office, or any other Guild office that offered freelance contracts."

"Does that pay well?" Alex asked.

"It can do." She answered. "It depends on the contracts. Anyway, I'm back in the good books with the Chorrol Guild office. So, I can take both Guild jobs and freelance contracts again."

Monika paused a moment. "Whoo." She sighed. "I think I'm all worn out again. From just talking."

"You should probably rest then."

"I think you're right. The quicker I get better, the quicker I get out of here."

Monika settled back to rest again. Alex decided to get out of the farmhouse for a while, so that he did not disturb her. He took his hunting bow and other weapons, intending to go off scouting the area for a while.

* * *

Alex did not really expect to find anything different from what he had seen before. It was more the case that he was just trying to keep himself occupied. He decided to head east of the farmhouse through the forest.

This time when he reached the area where the woods thinned out to the rising slope, he decided to climb the hill for a short distance. He was concerned that he might be spotted upon the exposed hillside and remained cautious. He had mostly hoped that he might be to see the walls of Chorrol or some other recognisable landmark to help identify the location. However, the surrounding forest remained thick enough to obscure his view.

He resisted the temptation to stray any further in that direction. Instead, he made his way indirectly back to the farmhouse, swinging around to the south on his way back.

In a fairly heavily wooded part of the forest not far from the farmhouse, Alex had spotted a brown ground pheasant foraging in the fallen leaves. It had not yet been alerted to his approach. He took the opportunity to further test his archery skill. He certainly believed that it needed more work.

To his mild surprise, he had managed to hit the target in just one shot from a distance of twenty-five paces. He convinced himself that it was not just good luck, but his skill must surely be improving. He collected the pheasant and headed back to the farmhouse.

Alex selected a spot near the edge of the clearing and set about plucking and cleaning the bird. That kept him fully busy for quite some time. All the while, he thought about how best to prepare the bird, and just how good the freshly roasted meat would taste after the preserved meats of the past few days.

* * *

Feeling quite pleased with himself, Alex came back into the old farmhouse with his freshly clean pheasant in hand. He saw Monika was sitting up in her underwear. Her eyes closed, she was whispering some sort of spell. At least, that was what Alex presumed. He waited a lengthy moment. Then a ball of light seemed to emerge from her hands. The light seemed to creep up her arms like a rolling fog, quickly engulfing her entire body for a brief moment before fading away. She sagged forward, indicating the expense of the effort.

"Yeah, it's alright to come in." Monika said in a weary tone.

"Was that a healing spell?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. Best I can manage at the moment, anyway."

Alex turned to push the door close again.

"Could you leave that open?" She requested. "It's starting to get too bloody hot in here. It would be good if you could get any of those windows to open as well."

"Okay." Alex did as she asked, setting the pheasant down on the stone by the fireplace.

"Nice pheasant." She commented.

"It should be, in a few hours." He said, as he struggled with the stuck shutters of one of the windows. With some effort, he managed to budge it without breaking it. He then moved on to try the other one.

"Look, I need to clean up." Monika said. "I went outside for… a little bit, when you were gone. I also wanted to get some water, so I could get cleaned… but I don't yet have the strength…"

"I can do that." Alex offered.

"That would be great."

Alex went off to fetch a bucket full of water from the barrel outside. He returned and set the water down for her. He then stopped and thought a moment.

"Should I warm some water over the fireplace?" He asked.

"No. That should be fine."

"I will go just go outside for a while."

"Okay, then."

* * *

Alex set about collecting more firewood and adding it to the growing pile outside the farmhouse. He did not know that it would be needed. There already seemed like far more than enough to meet any immediate requirement. He was just trying to pass the time.

After a while, he had heard Monika call out quietly. He returned inside. She was wearing a long cotton shirt that covered her well enough. Her other garments left hanging wet over the bucket.

"Could I get you to hang those outside somewhere so they can dry?" She asked him as she fumbled through her pack.

"Okay." He did as she asked, taking the bucket with him.

Alex was thinking how his new life as an adventurer was starting to feel a bit more domestic than he might have imagined.

As he returned, he saw that Monika had a jar of strange smelling oil that she was rubbing onto a bruise on her leg that he had not before noticed.

She glanced at him briefly as he came inside. "It's a mild healing balm." She explained. "It's okay for bruising and minor cuts, but that's about it. Every little bit helps."

"Okay." He acknowledged, heading over to the fireplace.

"Just one more thing." She said. "I've got to my ribs and shoulder okay, but I can't reach around behind. Could you…?"

"Yes, okay."

Alex took the jar of thick oil from her as she turned away and tried to lift the back of her shirt. He felt embarrassed at the sight of her buttocks as he helped lift her shirt. Then he was shocked at the sight of the dark bruising about her lower back.

"That looks bad." He said.

"I hoped you're not talking about the size of my butt." She quipped.

"Uh… how do I…?"

"Just rub it in, but be gentle. It's pretty tender."

Alex did as she said.

"Okay. All done." He said as he lowered her shirt back down.

"You'll make a fine nursemaid, one day." She joked. "Now, we should get that bird stuffed and roasting. It should be ready by about sundown, if we get started."

They set about stuffing the bird with suitable vegetable items contributed from both of their packs. Monika actually had herbs and spices that she produced to add to the mix. Alex set the prepared bird to roast over the fire. He would need to turn it several times as it cooked, but mostly, the rest of it would be waiting.

Monika was still far from fully recovered. Even fairly insignificant activity left her feeling worn out. She set herself back down to rest again for a few hours.

* * *

Alex tried to pass the time tending the fireplace and checking the roast. Mostly, he had just been thinking. He had thought about Monika's story. He had given some thought to what she had told him about the Fighter's Guild. Of course, he had heard of the Fighter's Guild of Cyrodiil, but he knew little more than he knew about The Companions from Whiterun. Just that they operated as a kind of independent peace keeping force. They performed tasks for the local rulers, but did not directly work for them. Alex considered that it sounded like a good way for him to proceed along the path ahead. At least, Monika had made it sound that way.

Monika's estimation had proved about right. Darkness had arrived at about the same time the roasting bird was ready. Alex had removed it from the fire to cool a little. He set about trying to close the windows and also the door to the old farmhouse. Monika had stirred from the noises that he had made.

"Hmm?" She murmured. "It's dark already." She noted. "The roast?"

"It is done." He informed her. "I am just allowing it to cool a little."

"Hmm, okay." She sat up, yawned and stretched.

After a short while, Alex portioned out some of the roasted pheasant and the content cooked inside of it. They ate and drank. There was still enough left behind to be of use for the next day. In any event, none of it would keep any longer than that.

They talked for a short while afterward. It was mostly Alex asking her about the ins and outs of the Fighter's Guild, and Monika providing him with fresh insights. It was not that long before she had again tired. She fell asleep as Alex was talking. She was lying upon the bedroll, but not quite properly. Alex moved her so that she was in the bedroll properly and then covered her. She stirred and murmured as he helped her, but she did not wake.

Alex tidied up the place a bit. Then he sat and thought about things for a while, before eventually deciding it was time to sleep. He thought and hoped that perhaps the next day might bring about better things, as he drifted off.

~O~


	7. Chapter 7

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 7

Turdas the 13th of Sun's Height 4E48

Four days had passed since the incident with the ogre and their arrival at the old farmhouse. Alex was returning from his second dash back up to the stream to retrieve fresh water with their flasks.

For the second time, he had considered attempting to retrieve that sword from the ogre's carcass when he was up there. However, he could not find a safe enough way down through the rocks to where it lay at the bottom of the cliff. It had rained lightly the previous day, and then on and off throughout the night. He had considered the consequences of injuring himself trying to get the sword. As much as it truly annoyed him, he thought it better to just leave it there.

Monika had been improving in leaps and bounds over the last two days. Her healing spells and resting had served to speed the process along. She expected that she would soon be in good enough condition to continue onward.

It was perhaps mid-afternoon as he made his way back toward the farmhouse. He had spotted a wild rabbit just at the northern edge of the forest. His archery skill had improved enough that he managed make the kill with some measure of confidence.

As Alex approached his destination with refilled water flasks and the fresh rabbit in hand, he heard a noise. It was a thudding sound striking against the wood of the old farmhouse. He had paused and crouched as he moved forward quietly. Then he heard it again. He dropped the rabbit and drew his hunting bow, advancing quietly forward.

He rounded the northern side of the structure with his bow at the ready. Another thud could be heard. He stepped out quickly to see Monika. She had her own bow out. She glanced at him briefly before releasing an arrow that struck the side of the house, making the same noise.

He lowered his bow, realising that she had just been testing herself. He turned and dashed back to retrieve the rabbit that he had dropped. Then returned quickly to see how Monika was faring.

"Wild rabbit." She commented. "I thought we might be back on dried rations tonight."

"I have refilled our water also." He added. She had been resting again when he had set off earlier.

"Hmm, good." She fired off another arrow.

"You seem much better."

"Yeah. Good enough to travel, I think."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Not sure if I'm good enough to take on bandits yet." She fired off another arrow. "But, I think I should be okay by the morning."

"Are you sure?" He asked again.

"Yeah." She grinned, and headed over to retrieve her arrows. "I've had nearly five days off. It's time to get back to work."

Alex nodded his acceptance and then set about the task of cleaning the rabbit carcass ready for cooking.

By the evening, they were settling down to a meal of rabbit with the last of their stock of vegetables. They talked about their immediate plans for the next morning.

Although not certain exactly where they were, Monika believed that they had to be not too far from the Orange Road. She reckoned that if they headed south, they would come across it sooner or later. Although Alex had not spotted any roads during his scouting, he had no reason to doubt her. That was the plan for the next morning. Head off to the south until they found the road, then make their way toward Chorrol. If they located the bandits that Monika was hunting, then all the better. Otherwise, they would continue on to Chorrol.

They settled down for the evening fairly early. Monika had cast another healing spell over herself just beforehand. She had also insisted that Alex take back his bedroll. He had felt guilty over the matter, but it was another sign that she believed herself almost fully recovered.

* * *

Fredas the 14th of Sun's Height 4E48

The next morning arrived. Alex was awoken by Monika already up and packing her equipment. Further indication of her restored well being. He quickly shook off his sleepiness and headed outside briefly. He returned and set about gathering his own equipment in readiness to move out. Once they were both ready, they headed outside for the last time.

Monika glanced about. "This place has been good to us. I'd mark it on my map, it knew where we were." She grinned.

Alex also turned to take one last look at the place. "Yes." He agreed, otherwise keeping his thoughts to himself.

"Come on then. Time to get moving." She started off into the forest to the south.

"Okay." Alex bounded to match her pace.

The forest remained thick as they headed south. The terrain rose and fell gently, overall tending toward downhill. They had been going about half an hour when their path began to look like a ravine as the hillsides rose up upon either side of them. The trees remained fairly thick, perhaps a bit closer together with the growth concentrated upon the more level ground.

Suddenly, Monika stopped. Alex stopped behind her. Then they moved forward with some caution. The woods abruptly cleared ahead. It was a road.

The forest ran right up to the edge of it. Across the other side, there were a few large trees and shrubs. Then the land fell away to the south, a continuation of the ravine they had passed along. They had emerged from the forest at a bend in the road. To the left, the road went up a sharp hill before disappearing out of view. To the right, the road continued up a different hill southward for a short way before turning west into more forest.

Monika stood there for a while, looking each way.

"I know where we are." She stated quite firmly.

"Is it the Orange Road?"

"It sure is." She pointed to the left, "That's the way to Bruma. Up there to the left, there's a fork in the road just over the hill. The split also goes to Bruma eventually, through a more northern route." Turning back to the right. "That way, leads to Chorrol. Maybe two or three leagues."

"So… are we going right?"

"We're going right." She affirmed.

* * *

They headed off to the right up the hill at a steady pace. It was much easier going than through the forest. Just near the top of the rise, Alex had spotted something though a break in the trees, far off in the distance to the south-east. There was only a light haze, but it was enough to make it quite hard to tell just what he was looking at.

"What is that?" he asked

"What is what?" Monika returned.

"That." He said, stopping and pointing through the trees.

Monika stopped and retraced a few steps to see what he was talking about.

"Oh. That's the Imperial City. Well, the top of the White-Gold Tower, anyway."

"But… that must be leagues away." Astonishment filled his voice.

"Yeah, it's a long way off from here."

"It must be huge."

"Yeah, it's pretty tall."

"I had no idea…"

"That's about as much as you're going see from here." She said in a matter-of-fact manner. "Come on. We should keep moving."

"Okay." He said, reluctantly tearing himself away.

"We need to stay alert." Monika warned. "There's the likelihood of wolves along the next stretch over the hill. They're always turning up in that area."

Alex rushed again to keep up and tried to turn his focus back to the road ahead.

They had continued up over the hill. The road turned southward for a while, then turned west again. All the while, general heading in a downhill direction at the same time.

A little further along, Monika had slowed her pace. Alex had wondered if she was beginning to tire. Then she stopped altogether. Alex was about to ask her something, when she spoke up first.

"Up ahead." She said in a quiet voice.

Alex moved up to stand beside her. "What is it?" He spoke just as quietly.

"See that?" She pointed at something along the side of road, about fifty paces ahead.

"What is it?"

"A dead wolf."

"Oh yes, I see that now."

"I can see at least two arrows in it. Can't be sure from here, but it doesn't look like it's been there all that long. It looks intact."

"A hunter?" Alex suggested.

"A hunter would have at least taken the pelt, if not the whole thing."

"What about patrols or travellers?"

"Not Imperial Guard. They'd kill it with a sword. Could be someone else, but…"

"Do you think it could be bandits?"

"Maybe… Let's play it smart, just in case." Monika looked about for moment. "Let's get off the road. Into the woods on the north side. Higher ground. We'll scout along following the road… and let's keep it quiet."

Alex nodded his agreement and followed her lead.

They moved off the road and then cautiously through the forest. Monika seemed to move almost silently. Alex cringed inwardly each time that he brushed a stray branch or stepped upon a twig that he had not noticed. Still, he was fairly quiet. Just not as quite as Monika.

They had travelled just a little further than where the dead wolf lay upon the road when Monika halted. She was looking almost directly toward the road. Alex stopped just behind her, but could not see anything. After a lengthy moment, she took a silent step backward toward Alex. Leaning in close, she whispered into his ear.

"Stay quiet. No words… I see two men with bows. Look like bandits. Slow and silent."

She glared into his eyes, seeking acknowledgment. Alex nodded silently. He felt a mix of fear and excitement, as well as a misplaced sense of arousal from her warm breath upon his ear.

They both readied their bows with arrows nocked and proceeded to slowly and quietly advance toward the position of their suspected quarry. Several paces further on, Monika halted again, releasing one hand to hold up in a signal for Alex to stop. She craned her head as she studied what lay ahead.

She turned to Alex and silently mouthed the word as she held up four fingers. She used her hand to indicate that two were close, and two were further away. Alex nodded that he understood.

Monika moved another few steps forward before stopping again. Alex had followed and matched her movements. She leaned forward, evidently straining to see something. Then pulled back upon the bow, pausing to turn back to face Alex. She glared at him with raised eyebrows, then jerked her head back to indicate he should move to her position. Once he was crouching next to her, she glanced at him and shook her bow in an exaggerated manner. He seemed to understand and drew back upon his own in readiness. Once at her side, he could clearly see the two men sitting in the bushes by the roadside. One held a bow upright, resting upon it. The other had a bow still slung over the shoulder. He also caught a glimpse of two others standing around near the far side of the road. A man and a woman.

Monika had not allowed time for more than just the quick glimpse. She gave Alex a nod and then took aim at the man sitting on the left side. Alex followed her movements, taking aim at the one on the right, but waiting for her to act first.

Monika released her first arrow, striking the target in the left shoulder though leather armour. Alex took his shot almost immediately after. His arrow struck square in the back in the head. The victim tumbled forward out of sight. Alex had aimed for the middle of the back. The surprise of the effectiveness of his shot caused him to fumble as he reached for his second arrow. Meanwhile, Monika had taken her second shot. The frenzied movement of her target meant that the second arrow had missed. Alex had loosed a second shot as Monika was releasing a third. Alex's shot buried in the target's leg as Monika's landed in the target's side. A fourth arrow from Monika had finished him before he had even managed to return a shot. Alex had a shot ready, but the immediate threat was already collapsing in a heap.

With the noisy demise of the two nearer targets, the other two had come to full alert and had prepared themselves. They were just beginning to move across the road toward Monika and Alex. The man had produced two swords and held them at the ready. The woman held a medium-sized mace and a long dagger.

Alex had released an arrow aimed at the man, but missed. Since Alex seemed to have aimed at the other target, Monika aimed at the woman. She also missed, once. Her second shot impacted with the woman's hip, staggering her advance.

More arrows flew as the man started to rush forward. Alex had grazed the man twice, but not yet made a direct hit. Monika had landed two non-fatal strikes upon the woman. With her primary target struggling, Monika adjusted her aim and placed one arrow in the shoulder of the male bandit. Finally, Alex had managed two critical strikes, both into the chest of the oncoming bandit. The man went down just as Monika finished the woman.

Monika glanced at Alex quickly with serious expression. "Wait." She said quietly.

Alex nodded, but remained silent.

After a moment, Monika edged forward slowly. Alex followed at a distance. She checked the two bodies in the bushes. Moving forward, she checked the other male. Then she cautiously made her way to the road by the woman's body. After staring intently each way along the road, Monika spoke again.

"It looks all clear."

Alex advanced to Monika's side, also looking about along the road.

"Are you sure they were bandits? What if…?" Alex sounded uneasy.

"Absolutely certain. Those two in the bushes. I saw the red ropes before I fired."

"Okay, good." He looked at the bodies and could see the red rope on one of them.

"The other two by the road. The man and woman. They were out there as bait. Trying to look like less of a threat."

Alex looked about again. "Should we, uh…?"

"Yeah. Let's check this lot over. You get the two in the bushes. Don't forget to collect the ropes. Four Red Rope Bandits. That's two thousand gold. A thousand each."

"Okay." Alex did as she asked. Each had only a small amount of gold and other odds and ends. As well as their weapons and arrows, of course. "What about…?"

"Take their bows and anything of value." Monika guessed at his question. "Whatever you can carry. We can trade it all when we get to Chorrol."

She had done the same with the two on the road. One of the swords was dwarven metal. The other just reasonable quality steel. The same with the mace and dagger. She had also found the red ropes that they carried. Neither of them had been wearing them openly when they had been standing by the roadside.

"Could you give me a hand?" Monika asked. "Let's get these two off the road and over with the others."

"Okay." Alex came to help her with the bodies.

"Ugh…" she grunted from the effort. "I'm glad we managed to finish without needing to get into hand-to-hand. I'm probably not quite as right as I thought."

"Are you… are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just not in perfect shape yet. I'll be fine."

Alex nodded, remaining just a bit concerned.

"Okay." She said. "That's all done." She looked around in each direction. "They weren't carrying that much. I'd bet that they have a big stash at a camp somewhere. I don't know that we'd find it, though. They certainly wouldn't have told us anything anyway. If they weren't already dead, that is."

"So, what now?" Alex was not sure what she was suggesting.

"Onward to Chorrol." She paused. "But we'd better keep our eyes sharp. That's six of those bandits down… that I know of. There could still be others about. Unless someone else has taken care of them, or they could be back at one their camps. Might even be that there are no others. In any event…"

"Okay, got it." Alex nodded. "How far do you think it is?"

"Oh, I'd say that we're about half way there. A few hours on foot, if we don't get into trouble. Well before dark, I expect."

"Are you okay with the load? Alex looked at her bulging pack with blades poking out of the top of it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I need the exercise after all that laying about." She ginned and started off at a steady pace. Alex again rushed to match her stride.

* * *

They headed off along the road again. After a while, the forest thinned a little. Alex had again caught sight of the tower of the Imperial City far off in the distance. It was more the reflection of the sunlight. It was even harder to make out than earlier. Further on, the road soon became just a little darker as the forest became more heavily wooded and the canopy above blotted out much of the direct sunlight. Upon a few occasions, Monika had slowed and taken measure of the road ahead. Maintaining a healthy level of suspicion, she continued onward.

After hours of generally travelling downhill, they came to an upward rise. Toward the top of the hill, through a break in the trees, Alex was taken aback by what he saw.

"Is that…is that, uh?" He stammered. There was a massive stone wall ahead. He could not yet see how tall it was from where they were. It also extended away to both sides disappearing out of view.

"That's Chorrol. The east wall, anyway."

"Just how big is it?"

"Nowhere near the size of the Imperial City, but reasonably big."

By then, Alex could see the top of the wall. It seemed at least three times taller than the tallest structure in Falkreath. He was suitably amazed at the sight of it, wondering just what lay beyond those stone walls. Without realising, he had actually stopped to stare at it.

"Keep up." Monika called back to him.

"Coming."

Alex had not even noticed the fork in the road directly ahead. It was suddenly right in front of them. Before he had even formed his question, Monika had spoken.

"The left fork winds around to the south entrance to the city. It's fairly crowded around there. We'll take the right fork around to the north entrance. It's closer to the Fighter's Guild."

Alex said nothing, following without question.

They followed the road westward in the shadow of the northern wall that towered above them to the left. The forest to their right. It was growing late in the afternoon, but there were a few hours of daylight still left.

A little further along, Monika halted again. She stared ahead down the road for a lengthy moment. Alex moved up close before speaking in a quiet voice.

"What is it?"

After another moment, she spoke. "There's two bodies in the bushes just down there." She pointed to the location.

Alex could just make out what she had indicated. He said nothing. Monika also remained quite for a few moments as she assessed their surroundings.

"I can't see anything else." She said. "Let's take a quick look. Stay alert, just in case."

They moved over to the bushes. Still no one else in sight. Monika cautiously moved to check the bodies. She poked and prodded at them with her bow. Both were dead.

"I'd say these two were bandits." Monika said. "They've been cleaned out…"

"How can you tell?"

"Look at that. This one has had something cut from his arm."

"Okay." He agreed.

"I'd say that he had a red rope on his arm, before someone cut it free. That's two bounties that we won't be collecting."

"Hmm." Alex agreed without comment.

"Come on then. Not far to the gates now."

Alex fell into step behind her.

Along the way, they were alerted only once more. That time, by a deer that bolted from the side of the road at their approach, then took off into the forest. Otherwise, that final leg of the journey remained uneventful.

With only about two or three hours of daylight light left, they found themselves coming upon the large hardwood gates that led into the city from the northern wall. There was an image of a large oak tree painted upon the gates. It was the symbol of Chorrol.

Two city guards stood to one side, talking and laughing about something. The guards separated as they approached. One remained by the gate. The other larger man stepped forward. They both still seemed fairly relaxed to Alex's thinking.

"Hey, Monika." He called out. He was smiling through his cropped beard. "Who's this with you?"

"Hello, Brian." She took his arm in greeting. "This is Alex Pinewatch. He's been helping me out."

"Any friend of Monika…" He extended his arm to Alex.

"Hello…" Alex said, with just a bit less confidence than he had intended as he took Brian's arm, returning the greeting.

Turning back to Monika, Brian continued. "Did you get any of those Red Rope Bandits you were after? Someone took down two of them yesterday. Not too far from here either."

"Yeah, we saw what was left, back up the road a short way." Monika replied. "We've taken out another six of them."

"Another six? Not too bad. That sounds like most of them. If there are any left, maybe they'll turn and run."

"We'll see." She said. "We're heading into the Guild, right now. Need to do some trading as well."

"Are you back in town for a while, then?"

"Maybe."

"Right then." Brian said. "I might see you around town then."

"Maybe."

Brian stepped aside and Alex and Monika went through the gates into Chorrol.

~O~


	8. Chapter 8

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 8

Fredas the 14th of Sun's Height 4E48

Alex and Monika stepped through the northern gates into Chorrol. The sun was just starting to disappear behind the far wall at the south-western side of the city. It would be starting to grow dark in just over two hour's time.

Alex was fully astounded by what he saw inside those tall walls. He slowed to a crawl and then stopped altogether as he looked about. Ahead of him was a street full of people. The street widened to some sort of plaza with some trees in the middle. One was a huge oak. He could see what looked like some shops with a number of outdoor stalls in an open market. Looking to his left, he saw two long rows of wooden houses extending away to the east near the northern wall, separated by a narrow paved street. There was a large stone castle behind them that easily dwarfed the Jarl's longhouse in Falkreath many times over. His view again drifted back to what lay ahead of him along the main street, then further over to the right. He could see the spires of a great temple rising above the other rooves in his immediate view. He had never before seen so many houses and buildings together in the one place. He thought it seemed like more than Falkreath and Helgen combined, and then doubled. Possibly even more than that.

Alex thought that he heard something familiar above the general din of the city. It was a seemingly distant voice rousing him from his daze.

"…Alex. Alex. Hey Pinewatch." Monika was shouting.

He turned to see her walking back toward him.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I… I have never before seen the like…" He stammered.

"We don't have time for that. We need to get to the Fighter's Guild, and we need get to the traders before they close."

"Okay." He accepted, still just standing in place.

"Come on." Monika grabbed his arm and steered him in the right direction. She was trying to look annoyed, but a mild smirk betrayed her measure of amusement.

The Fighter's Guild was in the first large structure over to their right. Accordingly, it did not take long to reach, meaning far less of a chance for Alex to again become lost in the sights about him.

They entered the doors to the guildhall and stood just inside. Monika turned to Alex and spoke in a low voice. "Just stay quiet and follow my lead."

Alex just nodded, not really knowing what to expect.

A younger man in polished armour moved briskly down the stairs from the upper level toward them. He seemed younger than Alex. His hair was cropped short and his face clean shaved. His features were typically Imperial. He stopped just a few paces in front of them, standing like a lord's guard awaiting inspection.

"Welcome to the Guild Hall." He said, in an overly official manner, "Please state your business."

"Hey Dale." Monika said, far more casually. "Is the boss in?"

Dale looked at her as though she had just stepped in horse-shit and then walked it into the hall on her boots.

"Please use the proper address."

Monika sighed. "Guild Porter… is the Guild Head available?"

"I am afraid not."

Monika rolled her eyes. "Okay then, what about Karl. Is he in the hall?"

"Karl gro-Baroth is attending the office. He will be available shortly."

Monika seemed as though she was struggling with the urge to knock the boy onto his backside. She took a deep breath. "Please let Karl gro-Baroth know that I am here to see him."

"I will inform him." Dale turned and headed off up the stairs.

Monika turned to Alex and spoke quietly. "If anyone asks, I will just tell them that you're my new assistant. You're okay with that?"

Alex just nodded.

"Good. Give me those red ropes. They won't pay you the bounty directly. You have to be a Guild member for this one."

Alex did as she asked.

* * *

After a few lengthy moments, Dale finally returned. "Karl gro-Baroth will now see you in the office upstairs."

Monika wasted no time, marching past the porter onto the stairs. Alex quickly followed, avoiding any direct contact with Dale. They went up and around two flights of stairs and then up again to an open office area with a large desk and several cupboards and bookshelves. A huge Orsimer with bushy eyebrows and a bald head sat at the desk behind a mess of books and scrolls. He was dressed in casual clothing, but also wore a sleeveless leather vest of a similar shade to his khaki coloured skin. He paused at their arrival and then looked up with a toothy grin. The protrusion of his lower canines made his friendly smile seem just a little menacing.

"Monika." He said, in a gruff but friendly tone. "The boss is off enjoying himself again. Left me in charge of this mess. So, what can I do for you?"

"I'm pleased to see you too, Karl. What, no hug?"

"Don't push it woman." He then stared at her with his dark eyes for a lengthy moment, before cracking a fresh smile and reaching over the desk to take her arm in greeting. "Hey, who's the kid?"

"This is my new assistant. Alex Pinewatch."

Karl looked Alex up and down. "New assistant, huh? Is he Guild?"

"Not yet. That's one of the reasons I'm here."

"Yeah? What's the other reasons?"

"We took out six more Red Rope Bandits."

"Good work." Karl seemed impressed. "You got the proof?"

"I've got six of their ropes right here." She dropped them in front of Karl.

Karl gro-Baroth examined the ropes for a moment. "These look right. As far as I can tell. Two more got taken down yesterday. The bastards were not too far from the north gates."

"I know. We saw them on the way in."

"I saw a report that two more were put down about two weeks ago." Karl said. "That was up toward Bruma. Members from their Guildhall found them way up there on the northern road. That's ten down, that I know of. Can't be too many more of them out there."

"You might be right." Monika agreed.

"Well, the bounty is five hundred for each one of these bastards." Karl confirmed. "That's uh… uh… three thousand in gold. I've already got bags of five hundred made up. Let me get into the big chest."

Karl got up and headed over behind a partition near the side wall. He returned with six bags of payment. After rummaging about in the pile of papers, he found the appropriate scroll he was looking for.

"Here. I need to get to you to sign for that." Karl pushed the scroll forward with ink and pen.

Monika signed the document.

"We also need to do something about your new assistant." Karl said. "Can't have him tagging along on Guild jobs, unless he's Guild." He paused a moment. "I can make him a probationary member on your recommendation."

"Sounds good to me." Monika responded.

"Remember, it's your butt if he messes up." He warned.

"I know that."

"Make sure he reads the book too." Karl handed over a copy of the Guild Charter book. "Let me get the paper work."

Karl gathered the appropriate papers. He paused as he filled out the details. "Alex… Pinewatch, was that it?"

Monika spoke up. "Alexander… Pinewatch."

"You're a Nord, ain'tcha?" Karl looked up at Alex. "Doesn't sound a Nord name."

"Uh… my grandmother was from Cyrodiil…" Alex offered.

Karl stared back for a moment, expecting something more.

"Karl." Monika pressed.

"Yeah, alright then." Karl returned to the documents. He knew what she was implying and didn't want to get into discussing the reasons behind his own decidedly non-Orsimer name.

Karl had both Monika and Alex sign the documents in the proper places. Then Alex was issued with papers that identified his status with the Guild.

* * *

They exited the Fighter's Guild Hall through the front doors and back onto the street, carrying far more gold than when they had entered. They started moving along the main street that ran through the middle of Chorrol from north to south. The street itself was fully paved with raised footpaths along either side. Not that the foot traffic seemed at all influenced by the presence of the paths along the sides. The full breadth of the thoroughfare seemed to function as one broad walkway. The street ahead was still somewhat crowded with people. Monika and Alex had paused after a short distance.

"So… that does that mean I am now a Fighter's Guild member?" Alex posed.

"Probationary." Monika stressed. "Under my sponsorship. That's want you wanted, isn't it?"

"Yes, I think so."

"We can still cancel, if you change your mind."

"Yes. I mean, no. I mean, I think it is a good idea. If it is alright with you."

Monika shot him a quick sideways glance. "Look, you're not too bad with the bow. Maybe a bit better than I was when I first started. But you've still got a lot to learn about a lot of things." After a pause. "Even so, you still saved my butt back there in the hills. So… in return, I can train you up and then we'll see how things go from there."

"That sounds good."

"Alright, we need to keep moving." Monika stated.

"Where to?" Alex asked.

"Just down here." She indicated further down the street. "We can offload some of this stuff at Fire and Steel."

They made their way through the crowded street with the large oak tree. They stopped further down just outside the door to the smiths on the left-hand side on the street.

"That old sword you have isn't much good." Monika said. "Here, swap it for this dwarven metal sword that I got off the bandits."

"But that must be worth…"

"It will be more valuable if you use it well."

Alex nodded and accepted the sword.

* * *

Inside Fire and Steel, they met the owner. An old Redguard woman by the name of Arriana Rashada. She was in her late sixties. The colour of her skin was dark, but not quite as dark as some Redguard. Her grey hair was cropped very short. Even though she didn't look like she had been working the forge, she was still dressed as though she were. Monika seemed to know her quite well.

When introduced to Alex, the old woman made a point of telling him that her mother had owned and run the place before her. She had been running it herself for the last thirty odd years. Ever since she had left the Legion to come and take over from her mother. She also indicated her much younger grandson over at the forge, telling Alex that one day he would be running the place.

Once the Redguard woman had finished impressing upon Alex that Fire and Steel was a family business, they traded their surplus weapons. The old woman offered fair payments, though not very much for the more ordinary items. Monika had convinced Alex to purchase some glass-tipped arrows like the ones that she used. They were more expensive, but far better at penetrating armour. She also convinced him to trade his old hunting bow for one more like her own. One better suited to mixed combat situations. Furthermore, Alex had traded his shield for a stronger and lighter one.

Alex had thought that he might have come out of there with more gold, but he came away with better equipment instead. Although dipping well into all the other coin that he carried, he had not yet touched the bounty reward money, so he still felt good about the exchange.

Leaving Fire and Steel behind, they rushed out back into the street.

"If we hurry, we can probably still get to Northern Goods before they close up." Monika told Alex, pointing him in the right direction.

They moved briskly along the street, down the slope toward the southern gates, then across a side road to the right. They quickly entered the large structure signed as Northern Goods and Trade. No other customers were in there. It did look like they were about to close up for the day. Alex and Monika traded their various smaller items of value, and purchased some fresh casual clothing, before leaving the shopkeepers to close up.

* * *

Monika and Alex stood out on the street by a large sculpture of a woman cradling an injured man in her arms. It was beginning to grow dark, with the sun long gone behind the tall city walls. Alex was again looking about the city. The crowds had thinned quite a bit, but there were still people moving about along each street. Lights were starting to come on everywhere that he looked.

"Just how many people live here?" Alex wondered aloud.

"Never thought about it." Monika said. "A lot. I heard that it used to be a lot less crowded not all that long ago. With a lot more open spaces inside the walls. Not so much now."

Alex had not said anything, still looking about.

"They tell me that the first big boom was about thirty-odd years back." Monika told him. "That was when the Empire still had no emperor and all the provinces were fighting. Just before the new Emperor took control. He'd been in negotiations with the Countess to try and pull things together. With a lot of Colovians coming over to his side, a lot of people were flocking to Chorrol. Most of those houses up by the Fighter's Guild were built back then. Most of the other open spaces started to get filled up not long after."

"They tell me that the current Countess sold off a lot of the castle grounds to make room." Monika continued. "She used to be married to the Count of Leyawiin, but she left him when he went against the Elder Council. Came back to Chorrol and eventually took over after her mother passed." After a pause. "Another bit of a boom about five years back. That was when some big rock from the Oblivion Realm was floating in the sky and just about wiped out Cheydinhal."

"I heard something about that." Alex interrupted. "I thought that it might have just been exaggeration."

"No. That was real. I didn't see it. I was over in Anvil at the time, but I've seen the damage and spoken to people that were there. Seen paintings of the thing. I'm quite happy that I was no where nearby when it all when it happened. Nasty business."

"Sounds like it."

"Some of the people that left Cheydinhal have settled in the area out the front of the south walls of Chorrol. Never went back, even with the rebuilding of the city."

"You seem to know a lot about this place." Alex remarked.

"I've been here quite a bit. People talk. You hear a lot of things after a while."

Alex nodded. "Well, what now?"

"We should find ourselves a place to stay. We could stay at the Guild, but I hate doing that. Besides, we have plenty of gold. So, the inns and taverns are the best bet. Not The Grey Mare, over there. That place is too cheap and nasty. Camping out in the wild is much cleaner than that place. The Barracks Inn and The Lank Fellow Inn aren't much better. At the other end of the scale, you've got The Empire Inn." She pointed at the large stone structure up the road toward the castle. "But that place is way too expensive. Just because Titus Mede camped on the site years ago."

"The Emperor?" Alex clarified, though it sounded like question.

"Yeah, but he wasn't an emperor, back then. Anyway, there's also the Aborwatch Tavern, but that is just as bad. It's a nice place, but way overpriced, just because the Champion of Cyrodiil lived there nearly fifty years back."

"Okay." Alex was trying to sound interested, figuring that it was all probably useful information that she was telling him.

"There's only one place to go really." She indicated a large building nearby on the corner. "The Oak and Crosier Inn. Let's go."

Alex followed her across the street and into the place.

* * *

Inside the Oak and Crosier, there were already many people of all the various races. It was quite noisy, as was typical of any tavern at that time of the early evening. However, the full number of the people in that tavern was rather more than Alex was used to seeing inside such a place. That tavern area would have been only a little larger than the one in Falkreath. However, he had never seen it so heavily crowded as this one. Not even during the festivals.

Through the crowd, he could see two musicians in the far corner over on the left near the fireplace. That was the source of some of the noise. There were about six people dancing in front of the musicians. A number of others laughing and shouting. The conversations of many others adding to the general din.

"Alex." Monika leaned in close, shouting into his ear to be heard over the noise. She tugged upon his arm as he turned to look at her. "Come on, you can't stand in the doorway."

Monika guided him away from the entrance and into the crowd. It was only then that Alex noticed that there were stairs over to the right and another level above with balconies overlooking the main floor. There were more people above. Many of them leaning over the rails, looking down over the crowd below.

Alex could see that Monika was guiding him toward the service bar. It looked a bit longer and fancier than what he had seen before. As well as some shelving immediately behind the bar area, there were also some shelves built above the bar itself. It was certainly no less crowded or noisy about the service bar.

As they neared the bar, Alex could see that the building looked like it had been renovated with extensions along the northern walls at some time. He could see where the walls used to end because it didn't quite match up in the original style. It now continued several paces further beyond where it must have previously ended.

Once at the bar, he could also see another staircase near the northern wall leading down to a lower level. He was just considering how truly large the place was when his attention was drawn to Monika's voice, as she tried to gain the barkeep's notice.

"Thomas… Thom…" Monika was calling out.

"Monika." The burly Colovian barkeeper called back as he moved in closer. "You're back in town, then?"

"Yeah, for a little while." She said, loudly enough to be heard.

"What can I get you?" Thom asked.

"Two ales, for a start." Monika replied.

"Cider." Alex shouted to Monika.

She glanced at Alex, then back to Thom. "Alright then, an ale and a cider."

Thom gave Alex a passing look as he poured out two mugs. He held up nine fingers and Monika dropped the coins on the bar and slid them toward him.

"Who's this then?" Thom nodded in Alex's direction.

"Alex. I'm showing him the ropes."

"Fighter's Guild then?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then." Thom gave Alex a friendly nod. Alex returned the same.

Monika took a sip of her ale, then called out before she lost his attention. "Hey Thom. We're going to want a couple of rooms as well."

Thom shook his head with a bit of grimace. "Can't do that. Only got one left."

Monika looked back with a sour look on her face.

"It's a big one though." Thom offered. "A couples room downstairs. Plenty of room for the young fella to use his bedroll, if you want."

Monika glanced at Alex only briefly, then turned back to stare at Thom. "How much."

"It's forty-five a night."

Monika continued to stare a moment. "Might want a few nights."

Thom paused to consider. "Ah, alright. I can do it for forty… for you."

Monika waited for another full moment before speaking. "Alright then, we'll take it. And the bathroom facilities?"

"Yeah, included. You know where they are. End of the hall."

"Good to see you again, Thom." Monika handed over the coin and took the keys from him. She took another mouthful of ale and nodded to Alex.

Alex did not know whether to pass comment or keep his mouth shut, choosing to take a sip of his cider instead. He was not so sure of the value of the deal. At least for his part.

Monika downed the rest of her ale in one go and wiped her mouth as she put the mug aside. "I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to a proper bath. Let's get our equipment stashed away." She started to move away from the bar to find a way through the crowd.

Alex tried his best to finish his drink. Most of it anyway, before shuffling after Monika before she got too far away.

They made their way through the throng toward the back wall and the stairs to the lower level. It was lit well enough from the oil lamps along the walls. Monika seemed to know the way. She led him down the stairs and around the corner as the way turned back underneath the main level. A long hallway ran the full length of the building. There were four doors down each side and two at the far end. She stopped at the first on the right and checked the keys.

"This is it." She said, as she unlocked the door and opened it.

The room actually seemed quite well appointed. Much better than Alex had seen before. Although there were obviously no windows possible, drapes hung upon the walls as if that was the purpose. Clean rugs upon the floor. Two chairs and a table with drawers. A large wardrobe by one wall. A small fireplace set into another wall. The dominant feature of the room was of course the large bed with short tables on either side.

Although somewhat dulled by the material of the ceiling above, the general din of the noise from above could still be heard.

Monika directed Alex's attention to the far corner on the other side of the bed. "There's a lock-up chest bolted down over there. We can keep gold and valuables in there. Anything else should be fine with the door locked."

Alex nodded and headed over to the chest.

"By the way, that's twenty-four you owe me. Half the room and the drink."

"Okay." Alex handed her the coins, before dropping the rest of his gold into the chest. He then stashed his weapons and other equipment out of the way in the opposite corner.

Monika had grabbed some clothing out of her pack. "I'm headed to one of the bathrooms. Take what you need and we'll lock up behind us."

Alex nodded and grabbed some of the fresh clothes he had just purchased.

Monika locked the door and headed toward the end of the hall. "Take your time. I'm certainly going to." She turned and grinned before going to the bathroom on the right. "And I've got the keys."

Alex headed to the other bathroom. It was currently vacant. At first, he was somewhat confused by some of the apparatus inside. The large tub was obvious enough. As was the huge kettle set simmering well above the coals of a fire, high enough to keep the water warmed without boiling. There was a sizeable jug sitting by the fire for pouring warmed water.

However, the mechanism that fed cool water was strange to him. A large reservoir of water was mounted in the corner with a pipe coming from above. It looked like it held several barrels worth. Another pipe led from the reservoir to the tub. It had some sort of turncock to release water into the tub. He had not before seen the like in Falkreath or Helgen. Nonetheless, he figured it out fairly quickly.

Before anything else, he decided to shave the stubble from his face that had again begun to grow over the last few days. With that task attended, he poured warmed water into the tub, then added enough water from the turncock until it was right. Then finally, he set himself to soak in the tub for a good long time.

* * *

Eventually, Alex emerged from the bathroom in fresh clothes, carrying his other clothing over his arm. He noted damp footprints by the other door, indicating that Monika must have left not long before. He made his way back to the room and found it unlocked.

Monika was already inside, as he had assumed. She had moved the chairs to over by the fireplace. She was in the process of arranging her leather armour so that it hung a safe distance from the fire. She had turned briefly to note Alex's return. She was wearing a short cotton dress or probably just a long shirt from the look of it. Alex again tried not to look at her.

"Bring your armour and other clothing over here." Monika said. "Set it up like this to air in front of the fire. It will make some difference. Freshen them up a bit."

"Sounds like a good idea." He agreed.

He then noticed that she also had a bucket of water that she had acquired from somewhere, presumably from the bathroom. She had already used it to rinse her underclothing.

"Actually," she started, "Better you also rinse out anything that isn't leather."

"That would probably be better." He soaked all of the clothing he had been living with in the wild and then set them out to dry.

Monika rummaged through her pack. "I'm a bit hungry… but I'm not going back up to the tavern. Too crowded tonight." She found what she was looking for. "I'm just having something from my rations."

Alex nodded. "Okay." He dug into his own pack to find something. There wasn't that much to chose from. Just the dried foods. Still, he wasn't motivated to return to the crowded tavern either.

After she had finished her rather light and unappetising meal, Monika had been checking her weapons. She had several arrows in a cloth quiver that sat upright in her pack. She transferred a number of them to the hip quiver that she generally used. She seemed to be concerned over the edge of her dagger. She took a small sharpening stone and ran it along the blade a few times before shaking her head. "I think we should take advantage of the Fighter's Guild facilities while we are here." She said.

Alex just nodded. He expected she would say more if she meant to.

"We can get the Guild's smith to take a look at our weapons."

Alex had picked up his newer sword to examine it. "Yes, this sword could do with some work." One of its edges was a bit dull down one side with a small chip in it, and the hilt was a bit worn.

"We can also get some training in." She added. "You need to do some sword training, as well as blocking work with the shield."

"Yes, I think you are right." Alex knew full well that he had really been just trying to fake it. He had very little training in proper combat. Not that he wanted to say so. He figured that she could probably already tell anyway.

"It's still reasonably early." Monika said. "But if we're going to get into some heavy training tomorrow, I can promise that you'll be begging for sleep by this time tomorrow." She said the last part with a mischievous grin. After a pause, she added. "So, you might as well rest up and relax while you can."

"Okay, then." Alex turned and grabbed his bedroll from the floor and unfurled it.

"What are you…" Monika interrupted.

Alex looked at her with confusion.

"Don't be ridiculous." She scolded him. "If you're paying for half the room, then you get half the bed." She waved her hand over the bed between them.

"That… I do not think that would be right."

Monika looked at him with a measure of exasperation. "And why is that?"

"You are… I am… I am your Guild trainee… "

Monika released a breath of annoyance. She stepped straight across the bed and grabbed Alex by the shirt. She pulled him toward her and planted her lips upon his.

Alex was wondering what in the world had brought this on. He expected that he had completely missed something. Something that he was probably meant to have picked up on.

Alex hesitated for a moment, then he relented, returning the kiss. Still, with some measure of subdued conviction. He had spent several days doing his level best to avoid thinking of Monika as a woman. It had not always been that easy either upon a number of occasions. Now, it had become quite impossible.

Monika had proceeded to press her case, her kiss passionate, breathless and fully persuasive. Her determined embrace demanding his proximity as she pressed her breasts firmly against his chest.

Only after several moments did Monika slow a little to permit Alex to catch his breath, still nipping at his lip, enticing him to reciprocate and continue.

Alex began to hesitate again. He imagined a tiny voice in his head, fading rapidly in the moment. That imaginary voice was still trying to tell him that this was a bad idea. "I do not think…" He managed to whisper quickly as she was trying to kiss him.

"Don't think." She said, continuing to nibble at his lips.

"Rest." Alex got out before she kissed him again. "You said…" Another kiss. "Rest."

"Shut up." Monika said. She backed up to the edge of the bed, taking Alex with her. Then she slid backward down onto it, pulling him down atop her. "Relaxation first." Another kiss. "Then we rest."

Alex gave in completely. Not that he had really wanted to resist anyway. He returned her kisses with a growing hunger and passion. Monika fumbled with his shirt, pulling it up over his head. He paused only to discard it completely before returning to her.

She pushed him back a moment. "Take it all off."

Alex backed off to remove his pants. Monika removed her cotton garment in a single motion, revealing that it was all that she had worn. Then she pulled him back toward her and they continued. No longer separated by cloth.

Passion continued to rise with mutual arousal and things took their natural course, on and off for a lengthy period.

* * *

Some time later, they both lay spent upon the bed in casual embrace. The general noise still coming from above, indicated that it could not have been all that late in the evening.

Avoiding the call of falling asleep, Alex felt the need speak up. "Monika?"

"Hmm?" She murmured. Seeming far more relaxed than Alex.

"Does this mean…?" He began to ask, uncertain of exactly what he was asking. "Uh, does this mean that we are…?"

"We?" she paused. "Oh. No, it doesn't mean anything like that."

After a moment of silence. "What does it mean then?" Alex sought a better answer.

Monika adjusted her position so that she could look at his face directly. Propping her head up with her arm, her other hand upon his chest. "Alex." She said, making certain that she had his full attention.

Alex looked into her eyes. The usual amber-brown colour of her eyes seemed to give way to a blended shade of green. He wondered why that was.

"Look, I like you… obviously." Monika paused. "You're a good man." She paused again. "Look, I've… I've met a lot of untrustworthy types… and I know you're not like that… like them. You should know that counts for a lot with me."

"But?" Alex prompted.

"But, nothing. Look, this is… good. But it's not like I'm going to run off to the temple with you tomorrow. Enjoy the moment. We'll worry about the future… in the future."

Monika looked at him for a long moment, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Okay, then." Alex figured it for the best answer that he was going to get from her. At least for now.

"Good." She patted Alex on the chest and rolled away from him to reach over for her pack on the floor. After fumbling for a few moments, she had retrieved a small vial with purple liquid and her water flask. She took a quick sip from the vial and dropped it back into the pack, then drank some water.

"Thirsty?" She asked, handing him the flask.

"Mmm, yes. Thank you." He gulped some water. He resisted asking about the vial, assuming that she would tell him, if she thought he should know.

Monika took the flask from Alex once he was finished and set it down nearby on the bedside table. She then rolled back toward him and snuggled into a comfortable position, with her head resting upon his shoulder. Her arm draped across his waist and her leg wrapped over his. Alex had thought that her posture seemed rather more possessive than her words had indicated. Not that he at all minded. Not long afterward, they had both fallen asleep in that position.

~O~


	9. Chapter 9

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 9

Loredas the 15th of Sun's Height 4E48

Alex awoke to a hand patting him on his bare backside and woman's voice rousing him from a deep slumber. It was Monika's voice, he remembered, as he struggled with the urge to continue sleeping. After more than a week of sleeping in far less comfortable circumstances, the bed had seemed far too pleasant to leave behind.

"It's time to get up." Monika's voice seemed insistent.

"Hmm?" Alex murmured, as he rolled over and tried to open his eyes. He looked about to find her. She was already in her underclothes and preparing to get into her leather armour.

"Come on. Get up." She said more directly. "We have a big day ahead."

Alex got up and looked about for his clothes. He remembered that his heavier clothes were over by the fireplace where Monika was already busy getting into her own. He hurriedly set about getting into his own clothes and leather armour.

As Monika was already sitting back and pulling on her boots. "I've been thinking…"

"Yes?" Alex indicated his attention, as he struggled with his leather vest.

"We need to get you some basic healing training."

Alex looked back in silent question.

"I mean basic healing spells. To heal yourself, or to heal others."

"You know how to do that." Alex suggested.

"I know how to use some spells, but not enough to teach." She conceded. "Not to worry though. There are mages that I know well enough. Over at the College of Whispers."

"College of Whispers?"

"The old Mages Guild in Chorrol. It's still the same old Guild, really. It just operates under the banner of the College of Whispers that the Emperor set up. I know some mages there that can provide training."

"Is that expensive?" Alex thought about how much gold he had, and how long it might have lasted if he had been cautious.

"Well, yes… but that won't be problem."

"How?"

"Well, look." She paused, holding a small bag. "I have some valuable gems that I've been holding onto to. They should cover the cost."

"But it is MY training." Alex protested.

"Yes, it's your training, but it's also for my own benefit." She insisted "I need to know you can look after yourself if you have to. Also, I need to know that you can cover me, if anything really bad happened again."

Alex looked like he had something to say, but Monika continued speaking. Her tone softened a bit. "Look, you stuck by me last time and tried your best, even though you weren't really equipped to deal with it. I really appreciate that, but we were really lucky. Next time, we might not be so lucky."

Alex paused a moment in thought. "Yes, you are right." He agreed.

"Good. Then it's settled." Monika grinned. "Head off to the bathroom, if you need to, and then let's get on with the day."

As Alex attended to the pressing call of nature, he had considered the unexpected turn of events of the previous evening. Turning it over his mind, he had reluctantly concluded that he wasn't really sure what to think. Not yet, anyway.

Alex had experienced a few unexpected little adventures in Falkreath and Helgen after too much drink and not enough forethought. He had even pursued courtship more than once, but it had never worked out. Usually because he had moved so slowly that his measured pace had been misread as a lack of interest. He had always figured that if it was worthwhile, then it shouldn't be rushed.

And then there was Monika. He figured that things were either about to become really complicated or else uncomfortably simple. Alex wasn't certain what he was supposed to think.

As he returned from the bathroom, Alex tried to put all of that out his mind for the moment. It was going to be a busy day and there wouldn't be much time for that kind of distraction.

* * *

Alex and Monika emerged from the Oak and Crosier onto the streets of Chorrol. The morning activity was already bustling. People were headed this way and that along the main streets. Over near the southern city gates, there was a noisy argument between a city guard and a scruffy looking Khajiit. A few people had slowed to look at the ruckus, but mostly still kept away. Alex had also been looking on from where they stood. Monika took him by the arm, guiding him in the opposite direction to head north up the main street.

"Leave it alone." Monika said. "Probably a thief."

"Okay." Alex wondered if the Khajiit really was a thief, or if the guards were just picking on him because he was a Khajiit. The feline races from Elsweyr were often the targets of the prejudices of the other races of Tamriel, whether they deserved it or not.

The main street seemed even more crowded up toward the central plaza where the open stalls lined the area about the large oak and copse of lesser trees in the centre. Alex thought that they seemed to be headed for the Fighter's Guild. Only when they were close did he observe that the College of Whispers building was right next to it. He had not even noticed it the previous day.

Inside the building, it seemed fairly quiet. Set toward the back of the main room, there was a short stout man behind a large counter facing the front. At a glance, he looked like a Breton. Although he might have been just a short Imperial Colovian. There was only one person at the counter buying something. An elderly woman dressed as any other typical citizen from the streets of Chorrol. An elderly Bosmer man sat upon a chair in the corner reading a book.

They waited a short while until the elderly woman had finished her business. Then approached the counter once she was done.

"Hey, Samuel." Monika greeted the man at the main counter.

"Northwind." He replied with a nod. "What can I do for you today?"

"A couple of things. First up, six healing potions. Three for me and another three for my new trainee, Pinewatch." She tilted her head in Alex's direction.

Samuel acknowledged Alex with just a curt nod before returning his attention back to Monika. "The usual potency I assume?"

"That should be fine." She affirmed.

Samuel bent down beneath the counter and produced six red vials of the same green liquid that Monika had previously carried. They each provided the required payment for the items. Alex was a little surprised at the cost, but did not at all dispute the value.

"Is Florence in? Monika asked.

"Should be." Samuel indicated the doorway over to Monika's left.

Monika thanked Samuel and started off in the indicated direction with Alex following.

"Northwind?" Alex seemed confused.

"My father's family name. His Imperial name anyway."

Alex nodded. Many Nords did not even use a family name, except those of nobility or due to specific Imperial requirement. He assumed that Monika's father would have started using that name during the time that he worked for the shipping company in the Imperial City. Or perhaps his parents had done so in similar circumstance. Alex's grandfather had only adopted the Pinewatch name under duress from grandmother Illiana, due to her own Imperial heritage.

Through the doorway was a smaller room with a lesser-sized counter. Behind the counter was a high set of shelves stacked with various arcane items. There were two other doorways in the room leading off both to the left and right. The door to the right was closed, but to the left was only an open archway.

It seemed like there was nobody there.

"Hello." Monika called out quietly.

"In here." A woman's voice replied.

They turned into the doorway to the left. A middle-aged Colovian woman in modest mages robes sat upon a chair with a book in her hands. She was looking up at their approach.

"Oh, Monika. How are you?" The woman smiled.

"I'm well enough. How are you, Florence?" Monika returned the smile. She seemed to know the woman well.

"I am quite well." Florence responded.

"Oh." Monika added. "You should meet Alex. I'm training him up for the Fighter's Guild. Florence, this is Alex Pinewatch."

"Ma'am." Alex said with deferential nod as he stepped forward.

"Hello, Alex Pinewatch." Florence responded pleasantly.

"He actually saved my butt out in the wild when I was injured." Monika offered.

"Really?" Florence commented. "Well done, young man."

"We were lucky though." Monika said. "What I really need is to get Alex trained up with some healing spells."

Florence looked at Monika. The look itself seemed to indicate several questions.

"I think Alex has a little magic in him." Monika said. "But he hasn't had any training in healing. I have this." Monika handed the small bag of gems to Florence.

Florence peered inside the bag and raised her eyebrows, before looking back up at Monika. "I think this should easily cover the expense of proper training. Provided that he has the proper aptitude, of course."

"Great." Monika replied.

Alex had just stood by and accepted the proceedings as they unfolded.

Florence had made a waving gesture with her hand. A subtle tingling of little sparks had wafted from her fingertips before dissolving in the air.

"I'll have Patrick test Alex." Florence said. "If all is well, he can begin training with basic healing spells."

"That sounds great." Monika agreed.

"It may take a few days." Florence advised.

"That's fine." Monika affirmed. "We should be in town for several days."

Just then, a balding middle-aged man with similar attire to Florence had arrived in the doorway behind Alex.

"Patrick." Florence said. "This is Alex Pinewatch. Could you take him downstairs for testing? We need to train him with basic healing spells."

"Certainly." Patrick responded.

"Please let me know if there are unforeseen difficulties."

"Of course." He turned to address Alex. "Please come with me."

Alex glanced back at Monika and Florence. After an awkward nod to each of them, he turned and followed Patrick.

* * *

Monika had sat down with Florence and the two of them had gone on to chat idly for a while after the other two had left.

Florence had spoken of various gossip items going about Chorrol during recent times. She also spoke of a friend of hers at the College in Skingrad.

Monika had spoken a little of her recent ordeals and of their success in putting down several of the Red Rope Bandits. She had also intimated some of her opinions of Alex. She had described him as a well-intentioned farmboy of good character. She had commented that she thought he definitely needed some training as a fighter. As an aside, she suggested that he was not too shabby in the bedroom, once properly motivated. Florence had chuckled heartily in response.

After a while, Monika had shifted the tone of the conservation. "There's something that I'm a bit curious about." She paused. "Do you know anything about dragon magic?"

Florence looked at Monika a short moment before responding. "Why do you ask?"

Monika seemed a little hesitant. "Well… I think that one of Alex's forefathers might have been some sort of mage with dragon powers."

Florence raised her eyebrows. "Do you think he is from the Septim bloodline?"

"I don't know about that. He wouldn't know either. I think it's something else."

"Why is that?"

"He did tell me a few things. Uh…" Monika trailed off.

"It will remain between us." Florence reassured.

Monika related a brief version of what Alex had told her about his grandfather. She had omitted the parts that indicated that Alex had any kind of power, albeit a weakened one. It seemed that Florence may have suspected the things that were not said, but she made no point of saying so.

Florence seemed to consider things for a lengthy moment. "Well, there isn't really that much I can tell you. As far as I know, the only ones that really know more are supposed to be those monks up on that mountain in Skyrim."

"Oh." Monika seemed a little disappointed.

"I know there are some books up in the library that might tell you something. We could go up there right now, if you like."

Monika chewed upon her lower lip. "How long do you think Alex will be with Patrick?"

"Provided there are no problems, they should be at least another two or three hours."

"Okay then, yes. I'd like to take a look. If that's okay."

"Come along then." Florence rose from her chair.

They left her small office and walked across the main front area to the stairs that led to the library above. Monika followed Florence to one of the tall bookshelves. She found a book called Children of the Sky and handed it to Monika.

"Here. Start with this one. I'll find some others and bring them to you."

"Thanks." Monika accepted the book and found a seat at one of the reading tables.

Monika skimmed through the pages looking for relevant passages. For the most part, it seemed more fanciful than informative. The texts were fairly generalised. More of a blending of myth and commentary. She read a piece that waffled on about how the Nords carried the wind with them. She was half Nord and she had never experienced such a thing. Nor had her father for that matter. Nothing like she had seen with Alex that day. Still, the texts hinted at such a thing, but said nothing plainly.

Florence had brought over several other books. Each of them bearing titles that referenced dragons. Monika had looked over the titles of the books. Annals of the Dragonguard, Dragon Language Myth, Olaf and the Dragon, The Dragon War of the Merethic Era.

Without really knowing what to expect from any of them, she just selected one at random and started looking through it. Repeating that action once a particular book seemed to become less than useful. In truth, she felt that none of them really imparted any great measure of useful information. Some of them related certain historical aspects of which she had not been fully aware. However, much of it was flavoured with the taste of myth, more than imparting clear knowledge. She had not found it particularly satisfying.

After a time, Florence had interrupted Monika. "I believe that Patrick will be finished with the training session shortly."

"Oh?" Monika looked up wearily.

"You can meet him downstairs, if you like."

"Yeah, I think I'll do that." Monika closed the book she was looking at and started to make a stack of all the books.

"Leave that." Florence said. "I'll put them back where they belong."

"Alright then."

"Did you find anything useful?"

"Heh-heh." Monika sniggered. "I'm not sure I'd say useful, but I suppose I know just a little more than before. It's all… it's all about the myths, rather than what they actually mean."

"It's often more about what lies between the words." Florence offered.

"Yeah, I know." Monika conceded. "But it's still frustrating. I got something out it anyway. So, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I should be off then. See you later, Florence."

"Goodbye."

* * *

Monika headed off back downstairs, then further down to the lower level. She waited in the open area of that level for a short while. She didn't know exactly where Alex was, but he had to come through there.

After a while, Patrick emerged from one of the alcoves along the northern wall with Alex following behind him.

Monika looked at Patrick, wondering how it had gone.

"He should prove reasonably competent, after a few sessions." Patrick told her.

"That's good." Monika responded.

Alex looked like he was anxious to get outside in the fresh air.

"Alex should return tomorrow morning for further instruction. If we keep at it for a few days in a row, it should all take root properly."

"I'll make sure he's free to come back." Monika recalled her own training from some time back and the importance of repeated training sessions.

"Very well." Patrick concluded. He offered a brief nod to each of them and departed.

Monika and Alex headed off to climb the stairs and leave the building. As they walked, Monika spoke.

"So, how did it go?"

"Well enough, I believe."

"That's good."

"Although, I could really do with a bit a stretch after all that."

"We'll do that first. Take a bit of a walk."

They headed on outside and emerged onto the street. Alex had blinked at the bright light of the day. It was almost noon. He was vaguely surprised that the whole morning had almost passed by already.

"Let's just take a walk." Monika suggested. "We might also get something to eat."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea." Alex had suddenly realised that he was actually quite hungry.

The main street of Chorrol seemed reasonably busy. Especially so about that plaza area in front of them. There were several people sitting upon benches in the shade of the trees that made the central feature of the street. The activity around the various street stalls was enough to restrict clear passage to the south.

They made their way into the crowded street. In the thick of it, Monika had guided Alex over to one the stalls that sold food. After examining what was on offer, they purchased something to eat and tried to withdraw from the bustle.

They managed to get though the crowd to head southward down the street, and ate as they walked. Monika had pointed out a few points of interest as they walked. She had identified the Aborwatch Tavern, just near where the crowd was still thick. Alex remembered that it was the place that had been owned by the Champion of Cyrodiil about fifty years earlier.

She also pointed out the small run down looking store next to Fire and Steel on their left. The sign above the door said Woods Goods. Monika advised Alex to stay away from the place. She said that she believed it was associated with the Thieves Guild.

Before long, they were back in front of the Oak and Crosier Inn.

Monika started toward the front door. "We should collect our weapons."

Alex said nothing, but he obviously had a question.

"We've still got training to do this afternoon." She reminded him.

Alex tried not to look weary. "Okay." He accepted.

They collected their respective weapons. Monika had reminded Alex not to forget his sword and shield. He felt reminded that he was still the student in such matters.

* * *

They left the inn behind. Instead of heading back up the main street, Monika had led Alex off to the right. They walked past the various shops and houses until they passed in front of the large temple that dominated that street. It was called the Chapel of Stendarr, she had told him. She didn't intend to go in there. She was just taking a more circuitous route to their destination. They turned northward along the side of the chapel. They passed several rather ordinary looking wooden houses and cut through the burial grounds near the back of the chapel. Before long, they had come out near the back area of the Fighter's Guild.

Once they reached the open training area out the back of the Guild, Monika wasted no time putting Alex to task.

If only to maintain some measure of confidence, she started him with archery training. She firstly began by advising how better to use the new bow. It had a different feel from the hunting bow that he had previously used. She worked him hard with target practice, regularly shifting the distance and angle from the target to keep him working at his skill. That archery training continued for almost two hours.

Once Alex had demonstrated some measure of improvement, she had shifted the focus to attend those skills outside of his area of comfort.

That next stage involved working upon Alex's ability with the sword. One of the areas that needed a great deal of attention.

Monika began by demonstrating the basic techniques and having Alex mirror her movements. It required quite a bit of patience from both of them to put him on track. Everything from stance and balance, to how he gripped the hilt of the sword.

Once she had Alex actually moving correctly, she put him to task against one of the wooden dummies in the training area. Eventually, she shifted to shield training. She used a heavy wooden training sword against Alex's shield to make him word hard upon his blocking.

The training continued on well into the afternoon. In fact, it was almost dark before Monika had finally called it a day. Alex was more than more glad that it was over for now. He thought it wise to keep those thoughts to himself.

* * *

They made their way back to the Oak and Crosier and put away their weapons. Then they each took to the bathrooms, as they became available, to clean up after the hours of arduous training.

As Alex washed, he considered that maybe there wasn't too much to think about with regard to where he stood with Monika. Even though they were still sharing the same room, and there had been no mention of any change in the existing arrangements, the activities of the day seemed to demonstrate that he was very much her junior trainee. As for anything else, he was too tired to even think about it.

Afterward, Monika and Alex had gone up to the main tavern area for a hot meal. They ate and drank in the tavern, before again retiring to their downstairs room. The tavern was starting to rapidly fill up with patrons as they left it behind.

Alex was completely worn out by the time he had lay down upon the bed. Monika had been talking about the plans for the next day. Which sounded exactly like the day that had just drawn to a close. Alex had fallen asleep as she was still speaking.

Monika had smirked to herself as she noted Alex's mild snoring. She rolled him onto his side as she moved into the bed next to him. She positioned herself up against him to keep him from rolling over onto his back. Before long she was also soundly asleep.

~O~


	10. Chapter 10

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 10

Middas the 19th of Sun's Height 4E48

The last three days had passed in almost identical fashion to the one before. During the mornings, Alex had attended the College of Whispers to continue his training in healing magic with Patrick. After four days, that training was effectively complete. Although, Patrick had still encouraged Alex to return for further training at some later time.

The afternoons involved lengthy training sessions at the Fighter's Guild. Alex's archery skill had improved fairly easily with guidance. A greater measure of effort was required to produce results with blade and shield. Nonetheless, he had become far more proficient than when he had started. He just needed to keep practising what he had learned.

Monika had worked Alex in an arduous fashion during each afternoon of training. He had found himself suitably exhausted by the end of each day. Accordingly, he had slept solidly each night without any problem.

They had continued to share the same room and the same bed since they had moved into the Oak and Crosier. That particular circumstance had not changed at all.

There had still been no specific mention of the activities of the first night that they arrived. Unless Alex had been just too stupid to notice, there had not been any obvious suggestion of further opportunity of such coupling. Not that he would have had the energy for anything like that by the time the long days were done.

It seemed to remain fully ambiguous to Alex's mind. Monika's general behaviour had seemed just a little more than friendly when they were alone in their room at the inn. It was in the tone of her voice and her facial expressions. However, each night as they climbed into bed, Monika had quickly turned her back and gone straight to sleep. Then, each morning Alex would awake to find Monika's naked body wrapped about his own. He figured that he would need to actually speak with her soon.

* * *

Since Alex had finished with that other training at the College of Whispers, the fifth day of weapons training had started much earlier at the Fighter's Guild. He had only just started to adjust to managing with the half-day training. He had anticipated a long day ahead of him. The mild bruising from the previous day reminded him that Monika was not about to permit him any laxity with regard to his training sessions.

They had only been at it for about a couple of hours when they were interrupted. Dale, the Guild Porter, had appeared from the rear door of the Guild Hall in his flawlessly polished armour. He had marched directly to within a short distance of them and cleared his throat to announce himself.

"Karl gro-Baroth requests your attendance in the upper office." He stated. Once he was certain that the message was received, Dale turned and marched back inside.

Alex had looked to Monika in question.

"Could be a job." She said.

"Should I keep training?" Alex asked.

"No. You're with me, unless Karl says otherwise. If it's a job, I want you there for the briefing. Get your equipment together and we'll head up there."

Monika and Alex packed up their gear and headed inside, then up the stairs to the office. As before, they found Karl gro-Baroth grumbling behind the large messy desk. The Guild Head had still not returned. Leaving Karl still in charge of the office.

"Hey Karl." Monika said in a friendly manner.

"Monika." Karl said, looking up. "And uh…"

"Alex." She reminded him.

"Yeah, Alex." He paused a moment. "I got a job for you."

"Great. What is it?"

"It's a bit unusual, this one." Karl paused, scratching an itch above his bushy brow. "Should be real easy, but it's gotta be kept real quiet." He looked at Alex as he said the last part.

"That's not a problem." Monika said firmly. "He's with me, and he doesn't know anyone else anyway."

"Right." Karl huffed. "Well, it's just a delivery of some documents. Thing is, it's for the Penitus Oculatus." He paused. "Whatever it is, it's too important for a courier and they don't want to attract attention by using Imperial Guard. They want someone who can protect the delivery without looking like they're making one." Another pause. "Interested?"

Monika hesitated for a moment. "Yeah. Sounds good. I think." Her tone remained guarded. "What's it pay?"

"They're paying eight hundred."

Monika raised her eyebrows. "That much for a delivery? Must be important."

"Yeah. Must be." Karl responded.

"Do you have it?"

"Not here."

"Do we need to…"

"No." Karl cut her off. "They want to do it quiet and its gotta be collected today. You need to be at the main bar at the Empire Inn at noon, and wait there for one hour. You're 'sposed to order some drinks and look natural. That means dress light. You wear this and someone will contact you." He handed her a copper bracelet with a small blue stone setting.

"Yeah, uh…" Monika trailed off.

"Yeah, I know." Karl looked at her pointedly. "They're sneaky bastards, but it's all above board. They just want it keep it all quite."

Monika paused a moment before responding. "Okay then… we'll take it."

"Good." Karl accepted. "I didn't want to hafta send some else." He unfurled the scroll that he had been holding onto. "Sign this and the contract is yours. You get paid on delivery at the other end."

They attended to the paperwork and Monika took the bracelet. They headed off quickly. There was just over an hour to get to the Empire Inn.

* * *

Monika and Alex returned briskly to the Oak and Crosier to stash their weapons and armour, changing into casual clothes.

As they were changing their clothing, Alex finally asked the question that he had been holding onto since leaving the Fighter's Guild office. "What is the Penitus Oculatus?"

Monika spoke quickly. "They are the eyes and ears of the Emperor. Not part of the Imperial Guard. Some sort of military spies for the Emperor. They're supposed to be watching for threats against the Empire, or the Emperor himself. Like the way the Blades used to serve the Septims."

Alex was surprised and remained somewhat confused. "What kind of threats?"

"Who knows? Nothing is ever openly reported about what they do. I've heard rumours about the secret elimination of assassins and spies, but never anything more than just idle talk. Tavern talk."

"But… what are the threats to the Empire?"

"Well, from inside Cyrodiil… I wouldn't have a clue. Maybe there are secret power struggles that we never hear about."

Alex was thinking about that as he pulled on his boots.

"From outside of Cyrodiil…" Monika continued. "Well, obviously not High Rock or Skyrim… or even Hammerfell. Most of the lands are either allied to the new Empire, or at least… not enemies. Even Black Marsh remains reasonably friendly, as far I know. Just from a more independent point of view." She paused a moment, looking down to check her clothing. "I suppose that the biggest worry is the Summerset Isles… or Alinor, as they're calling it now. They've always been a snotty bunch, but since the Thalmor faction took over, all official ties have been cut to Cyrodiil. From what I understand, it was Alinor that drove the rebellion in Valenwood. Now, it's also cut off from the Empire and directly allied to Alinor. I suppose that would be the biggest concern."

"Yes, I suppose." Alex agreed.

"Either way, we don't have time to think about that now." Monika settled.

Monika paused to examine Alex for a moment. "Come here." She produced a comb and tried to tidy up his hair. "When we get to the inn, we need to look like a couple. Just stopping at the inn to have a drink." She fussed with his outfit and adjusted his shirt. She stepped back to consider his appearance. "That'll have to do."

Alex didn't say anything.

"Come on. We need to keep moving."

Alex followed Monika out and they headed directly to the Empire Inn.

* * *

Inside the Empire Inn, Alex was immediately struck by just how different it was from any other tavern or inn that he had seen before. It seemed wastefully large with a lot of empty spaces between everything. Perhaps even more so, given that it was not at all crowded. Alex could see no more than about fifteen people in the place, and that included those that obviously worked there. He thought that it would probably take at least sixty before it started to look even just a little crowded.

Monika could tell that Alex was likely to just stand there and gawk. She gently guided him toward the main bar area of the inn, before any of the staff arrived to direct them to a table.

They took to stools at the bar and ordered drinks. Alex was struck by the inflated cost of the drinks, but tried to pretend otherwise.

There was nobody else seated at the bar. Aside from the barkeeper, no one else had seemed particularly interested in their presence.

Monika sat facing the bar with Alex to her right. The bracelet worn upon her left arm in a fashion that left it easy to see. Alex had glanced about and noted that just a few of the patrons appeared overtly wealthy. Most seemed less so, or at the least, were not so obvious about it. Monika had quietly reminded him not to stare at anyone. She had instead tried to engage him in idle conversation to keep him distracted.

"We'll need to head back to the stores after this." Monika said quietly.

"Okay."

"It's the twentieth tomorrow, so everything will be closed."

"Oh, yes. Sun's Rest." Alex remembered. Each year, on the twentieth of Sun's Height, was the day of Sun's Rest. Everything would be closed for the day of rest except for the temples and taverns.

"That's right." Said Monika. "If we're travelling, we'll need to make sure that we have proper provisions."

"We do not know where we are going." Alex commented.

"No, not yet." She took another sip of her drink.

Monika continued with idle conversation, commenting upon the long run of sunny days since the last brief rain over a week earlier.

Alex had considered a topic that he wanted to discuss, but he didn't feel particularly comfortable in the current circumstance.

Not too long afterward, a man had come along and sat at the bar to Monika's left. He sat forward leaning over the bar. There was nothing remarkable about his appearance. Average build. An ordinary face, clean shaved with cropped hair. Not particularly old, nor particularly young. Nothing in his manner of dress to distinguish him from any average imperial citizen of middling station.

Monika had thought that he had looked at her bracelet out of the corner of his eyes. It seemed to her that he was trying too hard not be obvious. She had thought that it made it appear all the more obvious. She glanced at him only briefly.

"No need to look at me." The man said quietly. In fact, best that you don't."

Monika complied. She reasonably assumed that he was the one she was expecting.

"Who is the man with you?" He asked, just as quietly.

Monika replied without looking at him. "He's my partner."

Alex remained silent.

After pause, the man responded. "Very well." He stopped to order a drink from the barkeeper. Once he had his drink and the barkeep had moved away, he resumed. "You are contracted to make the delivery?" It was not clear if it was a statement or a question.

"The Guild sent me." Monika confirmed, maintaining a quite voice.

"I will leave the sealed pouch when I leave. Protect it with your lives. It is not to be opened under any circumstances. Speak of it to no one."

"I understand." She accepted.

"Travel to the Imperial City. Take no longer than three days. Attract no unusual attention. Go to the White-Gold tower and tell the guards that you have a delivery for Martin Hand. They will understand."

After a moment, Monika confirmed. "Understood."

Alex had listened intently to the hushed exchange, but continued to remain silent throughout.

The man finished his drink and then departed without another word. Upon the table where he had been leaning, a sealed pouch was left behind. Monika had discreetly taken the pouch and tucked it into her shirt. She slowly finished her drink and told Alex to finish his own. A few moments later, they left the Empire Inn behind.

* * *

Monika and Alex had stopped just down the street by The Grey Mare. Monika had turned to speak to Alex, but did not immediately say anything.

"What are we doing?" Alex asked. He wondered why they had stopped.

"We're headed to Northern Goods."

"Okay, but…"

"Don't look around or anything. Just keep talking to me."

Alex was even more confused. "What should I… talk about?"

"Doesn't matter. We'll pick up supplies at Northern Goods. Is there anything in particular that you think we'll need?"

"Uh… we probably have most of what we need. Maybe just some dried foods for the road?" He suggested.

"Sounds good." She said distractedly. "Okay, let's go."

"Okay."

They continued walking further down the street. Just as they approached their destination, Monika spoke again. "Don't look around at all." She prefaced. "I don't think anyone is following us, but I don't want you to act like you think someone is."

"Okay." He agreed, resisting the urge to actually take a look since she had now succeeded in planting the seed in his mind.

Inside the store, they purchased some basic supplies. As they left the front door, Monika seemed to push Alex just a bit to keep him from moving too slowly.

"Let's head straight back to the Oak and Crosier." She said, trying to make it sound like a suggestion. "We'll talk when we get there."

"Okay."

* * *

Once they had returned to their room, Monika turned and looked at Alex for a lengthy moment without saying anything.

"Is this going to be dangerous?" Alex asked, hoping to break the tension.

"I don't know." Monika sounded uncertain. Her amber eyes had turned a darker shade of brown.

"Did you see anyone following us?" Alex asked.

"No, but I would expect that the Penitus Oculatus had someone watching us from a distance, or watching to see if someone else was watching us."

"You are not putting me at ease." Alex commented.

Monika paused a moment before speaking. "You're right. Usually, I wouldn't be too worried about something like this. I'm letting that spectre get to me."

"Spectre?"

"Inspector. That's what they call themselves. Spectre is what others call them."

"Ah. Funny." Alex managed a smirk.

"Look, there's two ways this is likely to play out. Everything should be fine if we just act normal. We head off toward the Imperial City tomorrow morning. We should make halfway before nightfall. We just act like any other couple on their way to the city."

Alex suppressed his thoughts over the last part, given the weight of the immediate issue at hand. "What is the other likely way?"

"Well, if anyone really is after us or the documents in this pouch… then we could be in for some trouble."

"So… we should just act normal, but be ready for trouble."

"That's about the size of it." She confirmed.

"Okay. What now?"

"We should pack up our gear, ready to head out early tomorrow."

* * *

Monika and Alex proceeded to pack everything for an early start. Afterward, they went up to the main tavern area for an early meal before the evening rush arrived. Alex had noticed that Monika had taken her dagger with her, keeping it discreetly under her shirt.

They returned to the room before using the bathroom facilities. Alex had again noted that Monika had taken her dagger to the bathroom. He was trying to remain somewhat at ease and behave normally, but was suitably concerned at Monika's unusual level of alert. He tried to wash and shave quickly in case there actually was any unexpected call to action. As it passed, nothing at all usual had transpired.

Once Alex had emerged from the bathroom, he had decided to adopt a fully confident attitude. He would maintain the usual measure of alertness to unexpected dangers. That would be normal behaviour anyway. He had thought that he would not only act normal, but he would choose to actually believe everything was normal until circumstance proved otherwise. More the case, he had hoped that his own behaviour would help restore Monika's usual level of confidence.

Monika had not yet returned from the other bathroom on that level. She had the key to the room, so Alex just waited outside. He leaned casually against the wall and thought about the next day. They would be heading for the Imperial City and that great tower that he had only seen from a distance. He was quite excited about actually seeing that city.

Monika had finally returned and interrupted Alex's musings.

"Oh." He acknowledged her. "Feeling better?"

"Uh, yeah." She responded distractedly as she unlocked the door.

Alex followed her into the room. She locked the door behind them. He had returned to his previous train of thought and gave voice to it.

"I am looking forward to seeing the Imperial City." Alex said with enthusiasm.

Monika looked at him oddly.

"How long do you think it will take us to get there?" He asked.

"Uh, no more than two days on foot, I think. If there's no trouble."

"Oh, good. What is the Imperial City like? Tell me about it."

Monika glared at him again. She did not seem at all at ease. "You do realise the kind of dangers we could be facing. Don't you?"

"Of course." Alex spoke mildly. "I have been facing dangers of one sort or another ever since I left Falkreath. Now I am a little better at facing them. Beside all that, I am not facing them alone." He grinned.

Monika remained silent a moment longer.

Alex continued in a calm fashion. "You said it yourself. We should just act normal and remain alert for trouble. They obviously want those documents to arrive safely at their destination. Provided that nobody else knows that we have them, there is no reason for anyone to suspect what we are carrying. If we run into any of the usual kind of trouble, we deal with it. If we run into any unusual troubles, then we deal with that just the same. The odds are, we are just getting well paid to visit the Imperial City."

"Okay, you're probably right." Monika conceded. "You're actually making a lot more sense than I am right now. Why is that?"

"I have a good teacher." He grinned again. "I am just listening to your best advice."

"All right then. Point taken, but we still need to stay alert on the road tomorrow. Even if I'm worrying over nothing, that doesn't mean that other things I'm not worried about won't fall upon us."

"Of course." Alex agreed, ignoring the muddled tone of what she had just said.

"We should be heading out at dawn tomorrow." Monika said. "So, we should make sure that we get up well before that."

"And that means we should get an early night of proper rest." Alex finished.

"Yeah, if we can." Monika looked up at the ceiling. A general din of varied noise was coming from the main tavern floor above.

"I am sure we can manage." Alex said optimistically, as he put out the candles on his side of the room and began to undress for bed.

Alex got into the bed as Monika extinguished all the other candles but one. She had just stashed the document pouch in the lock box, but Alex had noted that she still kept her dagger within close reach.

Alex had considered one good way to help ease Monika's anxieties and tension, but she had indicated that she was not interested. Accordingly he had eased back without taking any offence. Nor did she seem offended by his intent. Just not in the mood for it.

Alex had settled in easily enough. Despite the muffled noise from above, he found it relatively easy to fall asleep after not too long.

Monika had seemed far more restless. Shifting this way and that. Seemingly unable to get comfortable or surrender to the call of sleep. She had eventually fallen asleep at some point, only realising it because she had awoken at some time later in the night when there was far less noise coming from above. She found that she had settled into a position with her head nuzzled up against Alex with her arms and legs draped over him. She adjusted her position a little and soon returned to sleep, only somewhat less fitfully than before.

~O~


	11. Chapter 11

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 11

Turdas the 20th of Sun's Height 4E48

The morning of Sun's Rest had arrived. Alex and Monika had risen before the dawn as planned. They had quickly attended to immediate matters and prepared to leave the inn quite early. Outside, the streets of Chorrol were near to empty. That was something that Alex had not seen over the past few days.

As they passed through the southern city gates, the sun was just threatening to appear above the distant Valus Mountains in the east.

Aside from the duty guards, there was nobody else about outside the southern gates. As Monika had previously made mention of what was outside, Alex was only slightly surprised at what he saw as they passed outside the gate area.

Immediate ahead of the gateway, there were several open market stalls along each side of the road. Of course, all of them were currently abandoned. Not only because of the early hour, but because none of them would be attended for the duration of Sun's Rest.

Behind those stalls immediately to the right were two rather small wooden houses with a larger one of stone behind that. The larger one looked like it might have been an inn or similar, though Alex could not see anything marking it as such.

Just next to all of that, there was a large structure with stables and other facilities for horses. It was fairly typical of any town or city, only appropriately larger to cope with the activities of Chorrol. Those buildings also seemed much newer than the ones beside it. He could see a small crop farm just beyond the stables.

Across the road from the stables was a trading warehouse for some purpose. He only knew that it was a trading warehouse from the sign in front. There was another similar sized structure behind it.

As they had approached the stables, Alex had swung his view back around behind to the left. He had just noticed that there were two rows of smaller sized houses by the crook of the southern walls. About fifteen or sixteen of them. There was also another small crop farm just up on the rise in front of the wall on that side.

Aside from those guards back at the main city gate, there was still no one else to be seen. Since it was the summer's day of rest, it was probably not unusual that it was so quiet at that early time.

They soon came to a split in the road. The main road veered to the left, headed toward the Imperial City. The road to the right headed off into the Colovian Highlands. It was actually a continuation of The Black Road, but most of the traffic was destined for Chorrol, making it look more like a side road.

It was then that Alex had noticed the ruins of an odd structure up on the hillside above the road. It was obscured by trees and shrubs, and covered in vine growth. In part, it seemed to be the bottom portion of a stone tower or smaller fort. However, there were two oddly curved spires that rose up from the centre of those ruins.

Up until then, they had not spoken since leaving the Oak and Crosier.

"What is that?" Alex asked, indicating the structure.

Monika had glanced up at it only briefly. "That was an Oblivion Gate." She kept walking, but added more. "That was the one that directly threatened Chorrol. They say that the Champion of Cyrodiil was responsible for destroying the gate and saving the city from the Daedra creatures that were coming out of it."

"It just looks like a couple of spires." Alex commented, expecting something different.

"Yeah. It doesn't look like much." She agreed. "I've seen others, but even the more impressive ones aren't all that much to see."

"I expected… something more."

"I've read stories about the Oblivion Crisis." Monika said. "They say that those gates had opened with a burst of light and fire. Those spires were part of a large arch that framed the gateway to the Oblivion Realm. The whole thing was supposed to have glowed with fire and strange shimmering light, and all the plant life died around it."

"Yes, I have heard stories also. I suppose that is why I expected something more."

They continued on in silence for a while.

* * *

It was perhaps only two leagues out from the Chorrol gates that they came across the first settlement along the road. Since it was clearly signed, Alex didn't need to ask what it was. The sign identified the place as Weynon Priory.

There were a couple of larger structures that he could see just off the main road. One of them appeared to be a temple or chapel. The other just looked like a large stone house, but it was big enough to be an inn.

There was another road that turned off and went through the middle of the place. The road sign indicated that it led to Bruma.

As they passed the turn, Alex could see that were several more structures behind the main buildings at the front. A few houses and stabling facilities. There also appeared to be some small farms further behind that. Both crop farms and livestock in the fields. He could only make out just a little from that distance as they passed by.

* * *

About half an hour on from the Weynon Priory settlement, they had passed a lesser road that branched off to the right. There were several signs posted at the intersection. The main sign indicated The Black Road, pointing toward the Imperial City ahead and to Chorrol behind. Three other signs indicated what lay down the side road. They read as Skingrad, Hackdirt and Brindle Home.

Alex had slowed a little as he read the signs.

"Come on." Monika had called out.

Alex rushed to catch up.

"That's the back road to Skingrad." Monika informed him. "The first part is fairly safe, but it can get a bit dangerous further along in the thick of the Great Forest."

"Bandits?"

"Sometimes. Mostly, there are just a lot of wild animals and other creatures all through that forest."

"I have heard that Skingrad is a big place like Chorrol." Alex said. "What about Hackdirt and Brindle Home?"

"Both just smaller settlements. Villages really. They breed horses at Brindle Home. At Hackdirt there's a mine and small Legion outpost. Also some farming. They say that there used to be some Daedric cult there years ago, but not since the Legion moved in to stay and put a proper end to it."

As Monika was talking, Alex had just noticed the top of the White-Gold Tower in the far off distance through the trees. They were just coming about a bend in the road as he returned his glance back toward the road ahead.

"Monika." Alex said with a measure of subdued alarm. "Riders ahead."

There were two armoured riders on horseback coming up the rise ahead. They were only walking their mounts at a slow pace.

"It's alright." She said. "Legion Patrol."

Alex had already thought that they looked like Imperial soldiers, but was relieved to hear her confirmation.

"Good morning." One of the soldiers greeted them as they neared.

"And to you." Monika responded.

The soldier pulled his mount to a halt. "Where are you headed." He asked in a conversational manner.

"Fort Ash. Then on the city." Monika answered.

"I've seen you before." An expression of strained recognition peered through his helmet. "You're with the Fighter's Guild. Is that right?"

"Yes. That's right."

"On a job then?" He had glanced at Alex as he spoke.

"Yeah. With my Guild recruit. We're meeting with a client in the city."

"Sounds more exciting than my day." He grinned. "The Black Road has been clear behind us, but you should always keep a watchful eye."

"Always." She agreed.

"Well then." He readied his mount to continue. "Good luck to you."

"And to you." Monika responded.

The soldiers continued north. Monika and Alex resumed their southward journey.

* * *

About another half league down the road, they came across a farming settlement on the left. A sign by the road identified it as Odiil Farms. Set well back from the main road, there were three farmhouses, some livestock and a few large fields of crops. Alex had noted that it all seemed about twice the size of Pinewatch.

It was situated upon the relatively flat portion of some low rolling hills. Not a natural clearing, but obviously cleared of forest specifically for farmland. Behind that farm, the forest seemed just as thick as it was across the road to their right.

It was approaching noon by that time. Just past the path that led to the farm, there was a large shady tree by the roadside. With the rising heat of the day, it had looked like a good spot to rest. Monika had suggested that they should stop and take a break.

They lowered their packs to the ground and sat down in the shade. They had each reached into their packs for water and something light to eat. They both remained quiet for a short while as they ate.

Alex had been casually observing Monika as he occasionally glanced about. He was glad to see her return to more normal behaviour. He found it far easier to maintain his own level of confidence.

"How far to Fort Ash?" Alex had asked idly.

"Oh, I'd say that we're more than half way there. No need to rush." Monika did seem far less stressed than the previous day.

"Hmm." Alex responded, biting into a piece of fruit. "It does not really seem so far at all.

"No, it's not. We could probably make it all the way to the Imperial City in one day, if we were running hard all day. That's not a good idea though. Especially if there was any trouble."

Alex had been casually gazing out at the stretch of road ahead. "No trouble, so far."

"No." She agreed. "Hopefully, it stays that way."

Alex nodded his silent agreement.

After a few more moments, Alex spoke again. "Should we get back on the road?"

"Plenty of time." She said. Monika had been leaning back on her elbows enjoying the light southerly breeze that was just beginning to come up. "We can rest a little longer. We should make it to Fort Ash well ahead of nightfall."

Accordingly, they rested for a while longer before resuming their southward journey.

* * *

Monika and Alex continued the journey onward into the afternoon. The Black Road rose and fell with the rolling hills. At some places, the forest encroached upon the main road. However, the more heavily wooded forest seemed to gradually recede as the road continued southward. The hills ahead appeared only lightly wooded with more open grassland and lower shrubs.

Eventually, they could see the stone walls of Fort Ash off in the distance. It was set upon a hill, which made it seem quite high. Even so, Alex had thought that it still seemed almost as tall as the walls of Chorrol. However, it was not anywhere near as broad. It appeared to be a tower of some sort. It was still too far off to make out any proper detail.

A little further along the road they had passed another Imperial Patrol headed northward. A similar conversation to their earlier encounter had transpired.

They had not seen anybody else upon the road so far that day. It seemed that the day of rest had certainly served to keep most people off the roads.

By about mid-afternoon, they had reached the last stretch of road leading up toward the Fort Ash settlement. Since it was situated upon a hill, that last part was uphill all the way, but it was less than a league away.

* * *

Monika and Alex had soon arrived at Fort Ash and they were greeted by the guard at the north entrance. The road actually passed right through the middle of the circular fort. There was nothing else to see from the north but the old fort tower itself.

Alex was surprised to see that the stone structure was perhaps no more than fifty or sixty paces across. He was also a little confused as to how it was a settlement. It seemed to be just the ruins of an old stone fort.

Looking up, he could see the hollow of the tower. There were stone stairs leading to three upper levels. Most of the stone walkways about the outer walls seemed relatively intact, though some parts of it were missing. Wooden barricades had been fitted about the edges. Presumably to keep people from falling from the exposed walkways. Almost all the rest of it remained a hollow stone framework exposed to the sky above. The only exception was a more recently constructed wooden structure that occupied the western part of the first level above.

Alex had noticed that there was a soldier standing up there in front of it. He was leaning over the rail and holding a mug in his hand. From general appearance, he did not look like the other common soldiers. Alex suspected that he was the one in charge of the others.

Just then, Alex's attention had been drawn by the dull murmur of three men sitting on the ground to his right by the stone wall. They were just drinking and talking with one another by an abandoned shop stall set into an alcove of the western wall at the ground level.

"I thought that there was a settlement here." Alex said to Monika.

"There is." Monika grinned. "Some of it is down below, but there is more outside. Up ahead." She indicated beyond the southern archway of the stone structure.

Alex looked ahead. He could see a couple of stalls just outside the archway, but nothing else from where they stood.

"Come on." Monika said, reacting to Alex's look of bewilderment. "Take a look." She led him across the fort to the southern entrance.

Outside the southern side of the fort, there were a number of structures. Just three modest sized wooden houses and a small stabling facility to the western side of the road. A few unattended vendor stalls on the eastern side, with six more houses upon the level ground behind that. He also noticed a small crop farm just behind.

"Okay. I suppose that is a settlement." Alex commented. "But… where are the people?"

"Sun's Rest." Monika said. "I'm guessing that most are in the tavern."

Alex looked around. "What… tavern?"

Monika grinned again. "Come on. It's still early, but it is Sun's Rest." She took him by the arm and spun him around, leading him back into the fort.

It was still relatively early. Even with stopping for a lengthy rest, they had still made good time along the road. There was probably still at least another couple of hours of daylight left.

Inside the fort, they passed through a door set into in the base of the stone wall. Alex had immediately noticed that it was cooler inside. There was a passage that led downstairs to the underground of the hillside.

The passage was fully lined with stone. The floor, the ceiling and the walls were all made from the same stone as the tower above. It was moderately lit by well-spaced lamp light. The passage was not terribly narrow, but it still felt a little confined. They could hear the noise of many voices coming from somewhere ahead of them.

It had to have been a good forty paces before they came to where the passages turned both left and right. They took the right-hand passage. Just around the corner, it opened up to a larger stone area that was outfitted as a tavern.

It was really quite noisy in there. The stone walls only served to echo and increase the general din of all the people inside. Once they had fully entered the area of the tavern, Alex had revised his previous thought about it being cooler down there. The heat of so many bodies in that space had certainly served to alter that circumstance.

As the first order of business, Monika had organised access to the secure lock-up to store their valuables and heavier equipment. Of course, she had kept the most valuable item that she carried hidden on her person. They had also secured lodgings for the night.

The activity of the tavern was quite bustling. It was easy enough to purchase drinks at the bar after a short wait. It was another matter trying to find somewhere to sit. About an hour had passed, and they were on their second round of drinks, before they finally acquired a vacated table. It was situated by the wall nearest to the bar. Monika had selected the bench with her back to the wall, facing outward. Alex sat upon the other side.

They had sat there for a while, just watching the balance of quieter patrons and more boisterous revellers. Monika had finished her second drink, but Alex had barely touched his own. Even drinking a lighter beverage, he was not inclined to drink too much. As he already knew, Monika's constitution was far more hardy in that regard.

Monika leaned toward Alex as she got up from the table. "I'm going to find the bathroom." She informed him. "Could you get me another ale?"

Alex nodded.

"Oh, and something to eat also." She added. "Whatever they have, will do."

Alex again nodded, just noticing that he was also growing hungry.

Monika disappeared through the crowded tavern. Alex left his almost full mug upon the table as he turned to the bar just a few steps off to his side. After several lengthy moments, he had acquired another ale and two bowls of stew. He had managed to arrange the three items so that he could carry them and then turned back to the table behind him to see that a man and a woman were settling into the bench seat against the wall.

"Oh, please. I was only away a moment." Alex protested, still balancing the two bowls and an ale as he approached the table."

"No trouble." The fair-haired man had said, raising his hands disarmingly.

Alex had noted the presence of a large man at his back. He had glanced behind as the larger man took a step back away.

"Please forgive us." The seated man continued with a pleasant smile. "Would you mind if my lady and I joined you at your table?" His eyes seemed to seek a friendly response. Those eyes looked to be a shade of green. Alex recalled that he often felt distrustful of men with green eyes.

Alex hesitated a moment, mindful of the documents that Monika carried.

"It is terribly crowded in here." The woman with the dark curly hair beside him had added. She also had green eyes. Alex also recalled that he had often been more trustful of women with green eyes. Not there was any sense to the contradiction. That instinct had often proved unwise after the fact. At least in Alex's limited experience.

Alex had again considered the fair-haired man with the friendly expression. Aside from his slightly crooked nose, he didn't look like trouble. Although he was not extraordinarily handsome, there was something vaguely charismatic about his lean features. It was more about the way that he managed to layer his expression with an amiable confidence.

"That would be fine." Alex finally accepted. Not that felt so certain, but he didn't want to draw any further unnecessary attention.

Alex set down his burden and resumed his seat.

"Someone is with you?" The man asked, noting the second bowl.

"Yes." Alex replied. "My uh… friend." He glanced about. Monika was still nowhere to be seen. He quickly returned his gaze to the couple across from him.

"Forgive my manners." The man said. "This my lady, Annaïg. You can call me Treb."

"Alex." He took Treb's hand, trying to avoid knocking over anyone's mugs as he also acknowledged Annaïg.

"Are you passing through Fort Ash?" Treb asked.

"Yes. Just passing through." Alex replied. "Do you live here?"

"Oh, no." Treb responded. "We're just passing through on our way to Chorrol."

"We just came from Chorrol." Alex said casually. "We are on our way to the Imperial City." Just after he had said it, Alex had wondered if he should not have spoken. Then he considered it would have seemed far more suspicious to appear evasive.

"We have just come from the city." Annaïg mentioned.

"Really?" Alex was suddenly more interested.

Just at that moment, Monika had returned.

"Uh, Alex…" Monika said quietly, sounding apprehensive.

"Oh, Monika." Alex had glanced at her only briefly. "This is Treb and Annaïg."

"Hello Monika." Both Treb and Annaïg spoke in unison.

"Uh, Alex…" Monika said again.

"Tell me." Treb asked. "What is it that you do?"

"We are um… we are with the Fighter's Guild." Alex had still felt a little awkward with that. However, he also felt it wiser to continue to behave in a relatively open fashion.

"Truly?" An honourable profession." Treb commented. "You're not from around here, though. Are you? Your accent sounds a bit northern. Are you from Skyrim?"

"Yes." Alex replied. "From just outside Falkreath."

"There's no Fighter's Guild in Falkreath, as far as I can remember." Treb had said.

Just then, Alex had taken more notice of Monika's measure of agitation. She had distracted him by discreetly pinching his leg.

"No, uh." Alex had glanced briefly at Monika. "I was a… a farmer... back in the Hold of Falkreath." He managed to complete his answer. Alex could tell that Monika was trying to communicate something, but exactly what it was, remained unknown to him.

"Farming is also an honourable profession." Annaïg had offered.

"Important too." Treb had added.

"Uh, yes." Alex agreed. "My grandfather used to be an adventurer before he settled down with my grandmother to run the farm."

"He-heh. I used to be a bit of an adventurer myself." Treb mentioned. "That is, before I settled down with Annaïg." He grinned.

Annaïg had playfully slapped Treb on the arm. He had quickly glanced at her with an expression of mock shock.

"So now you're trading the life of a farmer to try adventuring?" Treb prompted Alex.

"Yes." Alex answered. "Something like that."

"You can always go back to farming later. Or even something else." Treb said.

"Yes, I suppose." Alex agreed. "What is it that you do now?" He asked.

"Alex." Monika said sharply, but in a low voice.

Alex had again glanced at Monika as Treb replied. "Oh, I suppose that I'm back in the family business. Or the business of starting a family." Annaïg had again slapped his arm.

Monika had leaned in close to Alex to whisper in his ear. Treb had also spoken at the same time. "I think that your lady might think that she recognises us."

Alex had thought that he heard Monika say "Prince Attrebus", but he wasn't quite sure. He looked at Monika, and then to Treb and Annaïg.

"I would really prefer that you don't make any fuss." Treb said. "We don't want to draw any unwarranted attention."

Falling behind the unfolding conversation, Alex spoke. "Monika is… is…" He did not finish. He was going to say something. That Monika was his Guild trainer. Or that she was not his lady. Although she possible was. Sort of. However, he did not actually say anything, suddenly awe-struck that he was speaking with the Crown Prince of Cyrodiil. The next Emperor of Cyrodiil.

"Please." Treb spoke mildly. "Don't make a scene. Those big men over there can get a bit annoying if they think there's any trouble."

Alex realised that they must have been the Prince's bodyguards. "Please, forgive me. I did not realise, my Prin…"

Treb cut him off. "Alex, please. It's just Treb and Annaïg. Just out having a drink and meeting with fellow travellers at a tavern."

Alex had felt immediately uncomfortable. He was retracing his conversation, wondering if he had said anything that might have been taken as an offence.

"Where are you from, Monika?" Annaïg had asked lightly.

Monika had tried to remain composed. "I am originally from the Imperial City… Annaïg." She stopped herself before using any honorific title.

"You're accent is strange." Annaïg commented. Her eyes shifted as she considered.

"Sounds like a little bit of High Rock?" Treb probed.

"Yes, uh… Treb." Monika confirmed. "I was born in the Imperial City, but passed some of my childhood in Solstheim and Solitude, before my family settled in Wayrest."

"That would explain." Treb seemed pleased with himself that he had correctly picked that part of her accent was from High Rock. Even if he couldn't quite place the rest of it.

"Are your family still in Wayrest?" Annaïg asked.

"Uh, yeah." Monika answered. "My parents and siblings. They are merchants."

"Siblings?" Alex interrupted. She had not previously mentioned them.

"A brother and a sister." Monika revealed.

"What brought you back to Cyrodiil?" Treb asked.

"I, uh… I wanted to return to where I came from. I wanted to see the new Empire, and with the new… uh… the new Emperor..."

Treb waved it off. "Please. Leave that aside."

"But your father…" Monika had stopped short.

"He's just my father." Treb downplayed the issue. "He was just the right man in the right place at the right time. That's what he tells me. He just did what needed to be done."

Neither Monika nor Alex challenged his words.

"How long have you been back in Cyrodiil?" Annaïg asked Monika, turning the subject back to lighter matters.

"A few years now." Monika answered. "I tried merchant work when I first got here, but I turned to the Fighter's Guild since that."

"That sounds exciting." Annaïg said.

"Sometimes." Monika affirmed. "Sometimes a bit dangerous." She had glanced at the bodyguards briefly.

"Don't worry too much about them." Treb reassured her. "They know better than to get on my bad side. At least most of the time." Treb grinned mischievously.

"Everything's fine." Annaïg sounded far more sincere. "My husband just likes to tease. So, are you two…?" She deflected attention back to the table. It was an open question, but she was looking more directly at Monika.

Monika had glanced briefly at Alex. He had returned the glance. "Oh, uh… uh, no." Monika had answered. "Well, not exactly."

Annaïg seemed to understand. In fact, she didn't really need to ask, but she seemed to be playing at some benevolent mischief of her own.

"Have you never married?" Annaïg asked.

Monika was clearly uncomfortable with the subject. She hesitated a moment. "Uh… well… once. A long time ago. Didn't work out." She had subtly brushed her hair back over one ear as she looked away.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Annaïg was obviously embarrassed at having pressed a little too much. She had also noticed the shaped of Monika's ear. She didn't know if a mixed heritage had caused problems, but intended to leave it alone.

"It's nothing." Monika dissembled. "In the past."

"The past is sometimes best left in the past." Annaïg was trying to recover from her little blunder. She replaced a mildly haunted expression with a brighter one. "The future can always be more hopeful." She offered. "Well, there's always room for hope." She briefly glanced at Alex.

An awkward silence threatened.

Treb directed a question to Alex. "Have you been to the Imperial City before?

"No. Not yet." Alex responded. "I am quite looking forward to it. I have heard just a little about it, but it is difficult to imagine without actually having seen it."

"I suppose that it might be." Treb agreed.

"Chorrol is the largest place I have seen so far." Alex mentioned.

"He-heh. You might be surprised then." Treb said.

"The city is probably about four times larger than Chorrol." Annaïg offered.

"Even more with the waterfront district." Monika added.

"Oh, yes." Annaïg agreed. "I can remember the first time that I saw the city. I knew that it was quite large, but I was still surprised. And there are so many people there, from all the various races of Tamriel."

"You are not from… around here?" Alex asked Annaïg.

"Oh, no. Not originally. I was born in Lilmoth."

Alex was squinting. He was trying to think where that was.

"The south of Black Marsh... Argonia." Annaïg clarified.

"Oh." Alex accepted. "But I thought that Black Marsh had broken from the Empire."

"That was just after the Oblivion Crisis." Treb interjected. "Before our time."

"There were still lots of non-Argonians there." Annaïg offered. "From most of the other races really."

Alex looked confused again. "Were you… were you from… a noble house there?"

"Oh, uh… my father held a noble title in High Rock." Annaïg said. "It didn't count for so much in Argonia any more, but still… back in the Empire…"

Monika interrupted. "Wasn't the city of Lilmoth destroyed by that flying city? About five years back?"

"Yes." Annaïg said in a sad voice. "I had left just before that."

"Your family…" Monika said quietly.

"My father was still there." Annaïg confirmed.

"I'm so sorry." Monika said, just as Alex had said, "That is terrible." Both of them had spoken at the same time.

"Annaïg and I had met shortly afterward." Treb was trying to turn the mood. "So, there is always room for hope."

"Yes." Annaïg agreed, though in a wistful tone.

A moment of silence fell over the table. Not at all affecting the rest of the noise from the other tavern patrons.

"So, the Fighter's Guild." Treb mused. "Are you on a contract, right now?"

"Yes." Monika responded. Leaving it at that.

"Sometimes I miss the excitement of the old days." Treb commented.

Annaïg had glanced at Treb.

"I said, sometimes." He defended himself. "These days, it seems the only excitement consists of managing the feud between the ruling families of Chorrol and Leyawiin."

"But you are known as… as a hero of the Empire." Alex offered.

"Phtt." Treb waved that off. "I'll tell you this. At least half of what you'll read about me is great exaggeration. Anything of truly great importance that I might have done, you'll likely never hear of it."

Annaïg was nodding slowly in agreement as she gazed down at the mug she had hardly touched.

"But…" Alex was cut off.

Treb continued. "Look, Alex. As I've been told often enough, the people of the Empire need to have their heroes. It's good for morale. But some of the greatest heroes that have served the people of the Empire will often never be known for what they have done. And sometimes… that's just the way of things."

Neither Alex nor Monika responded.

Treb said more. "In your line of work, either of you could easily find yourselves in such a position, whether by intent or accident. You might not even know of it yourselves at the time. Not everything is a matter of destiny."

Monika nodded in silent agreement.

"I think I understand." Alex said.

"Good, good." Treb settled. He took a long drink from his mug.

A moment later, Annaïg had whispered to Treb.

"I'm afraid that we must retire for the evening." Treb announced.

He rose partly from his seat to take Monika's and Alex's hands each in turn.

"It has been a pleasure to meet with you both." Treb sounded sincere.

"Yes." Annaïg echoed.

"The honour is ours." Monika said evenly.

"Yes." Alex agreed.

Treb leaned in closer across the table. "If you should ever need my help, send a message to the Imperial Tower. Address it to Colin Hand." He added a conspiratorial wink.

Both Alex and Monika looked at each other.

Treb had helped Annaïg up from her seat. As she rose, what had only then become obvious, was the slight bulge in the front of her dress. Although not yet too far along, it was clear that Annaïg was with child.

As Treb and Annaïg departed, three large men and a woman had converged upon their path. Evidently, they were their bodyguards. The woman walked ahead of them, the other three behind.

Monika picked at the barely warm stew in the bowl. "That was interesting." She had commented in a fairly neutral tone.

"Very interesting." Alex agreed, in a more animated tone. He made the effort to try to eat more of the stew before it was completely cool.

Monika expended further effort to get through the bowl of stew. She didn't seem to be enjoying it so much. Merely attending to the task. "Finish up." She said. "I know it's still early, but I think we should get to our room."

Alex put in the effort to eat as much as he could manage.

* * *

Monika and Alex soon left the crowded tavern through the passage at the back that led to the area where the rented lodgings were located. They stopped briefly at the bathrooms before heading to the room they had rented.

Only once in their room, with the door properly bolted, did they speak.

"Well, I don't think we have to wonder whether there are Penitus Oculatus here." Monika spoke with a fatalistic inflection.

"Treb?" Alex said with surprise.

"No, not the Prince." Monika responded sardonically. "But because he is here. If not his bodyguards, then someone in the tavern."

"Did you see…?"

"No, I didn't see anyone obvious. Nothing I could recognise, but it stands to reason."

"You think that Treb knows that as well?" Alex asked.

"I don't know what he knows, or who he knows. I assume that he has to live with Penitus Oculatus trailing him everywhere he goes. He obviously has some direct dealings."

Alex suspected the same, but waited for Monika to clarify.

"Martin Hand, Colin Hand." Monika recounted.

"Hmm." Alex agreed. "Do you think that he knows about our contract?"

"Possibly. I don't know that he'd know it was us, though. It's more likely unusual happenstance that we met like that."

"I am glad that we did." Alex said.

"Yes, I suppose." Monika mused. "At least it will probably make this place a lot safer tonight. I hope so, anyway."

Monika pulled off her boots and started to undress. She placed the precious document satchel under her pillow and set her dagger down within close reach. Alex started to do the same.

"I am still amazed." Alex commented, as he struggled with his belt. "The Prince and Princess of the Empire… speaking with us." His tone dripped with enthusiasm.

"Yeah." Monika agreed, with far more restraint. She extinguished all candles but one.

"They are not what I would have expected." Alex observed.

"I suppose. What would you have expected?"

"I do not really know. Something different. They did not really seem like royals. They did not really seem so different… from us. Not really." He had stripped down to his under-shorts prepared to get into bed.

Monika looked at Alex with a dry smile. "Yeah, I suppose." She granted. "Not all that different."

After a short pause, Monika discarded her underclothes and climbed into bed. She had snuggled up close to Alex. He had shifted to accommodate her.

"Yeah, I think Prince Attrebus is actually a lot less pompous than I would've expected." Monika said further.

"Hmm, yes." Alex echoed. "Annaïg is quite nice also."

"Is she?" Monika teased, as she nuzzled his neck. She shifted a little and whispered in his ear. "I'm not planning on any babies at the moment."

"Uh…" Alex hesitated to respond.

"But I still like to practise." Monika whispered, nibbling at his ear.

Alex grinned. "I suppose I could help with that."

"I certainly hope so." Monika said, shifting position as they started to kiss.

There was no more talking.

~O~


	12. Chapter 12

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 12

Fredas the 21st of Sun's Height 4E48

The morning had arrived. Aside from the earlier amorous activities in their bed, the night had passed without incident. Afterward, both Monika and Alex had slept quite well.

They had both awoken and risen early. Perhaps just before the dawn. They had yet to leave the room for any reason. The chamber pots had served to attend to immediate requirements.

Since it was still probably too early to expect any service in the tavern, they had taken a light meal from their own supplies. They had then waited a short while before dressing and gathering the possessions that they had with them in preparation to depart.

It was only once they were ready to leave that Alex had noticed something on the floor by the door. It appeared to be a folded note, sealed with wax. It had not been there the previous evening. Presumably, it had been slipped under door. He had picked it up from the floor and examined it further.

"What's that?" Monika had asked from across the room.

"It looks like a sealed note." Alex stated the obvious.

"Well." Monika prompted. "What's it say then?"

Alex fumbled with the note to open it. He read it quickly to himself. His expression indicated an equal measure concern and surprise.

"Alex?" Monika prompted again.

"Uh… it is definitely meant for us. I think…"

"Alex." Monika's tone had darkened with annoyance.

"Well… it reads… 'You should watch yourselves. Someone is watching you. I spotted at least one of my father's men in the tavern. He did not seem to be there for me.' It is signed 'T'." Alex looked over to Monika. "I think it is from Treb."

Monika stared at Alex for a moment. What she was thinking was, 'of course it was from Treb'. "Yeah, I'd say you're right." She said aloud. "But he's not telling us anything we don't already expect." Monika shifted her gaze and stared at the floor in thought.

"It sounds like he is looking out for us… Well, sort of." Alex suggested.

"Uh, yeah." Monika responded distractedly, still in thought.

"So, what now?" Alex asked.

Monika looked back up at Alex. "Doesn't change anything." She said firmly. "We need to get this pouch to the city and collect our payment." She patted the slight bulge beneath her outfit.

"Okay, then." Alex agreed, trying to sound confident.

Monika and Alex departed the room. They had exercised a casual measure of caution. However, there was no one else about as they headed toward the tavern area. In fact, there was no one in the tavern area when they arrived. That was something of an inconvenience. Monika had needed to tap the bell at the main bar to attract some attention. One of the tavern staff had finally responded after a short wait. They gained access to the lockup to retrieve the rest of their equipment. Afterward, they had wasted no time making their way outside.

It was still quite early. Not all that many people about yet. There was a guard just near the south entrance. He had greeted them in passing as they went by.

Two merchants were just beginning to set up their stalls by the roadside on the southern side of the fort. Alex had also spotted a couple of people that looked like farmers in the crop field over beyond the houses on the left. Otherwise, there was no one else about.

* * *

Leaving Fort Ash behind, they headed off along the road toward the city. The morning sun flickered through the trees to the east. Aside from their own footfalls, the only other noises came from the morning calls of the birds in the trees.

Not all that far from the settlement, the road had soon become a steep downward decline as it followed the rolling terrain.

A little further along, in a ravine below the western side of road, they had spotted a wolf by the edge of the forest. It seemed that it had also spotted them, but it made no effort to move in their direction. It would have been quite an effort for it to make up the steep side of the ravine. A lone wolf would rarely put itself at such a disadvantage in such a manner.

Just a bit further along, they passed two soldiers on patrol. They were also headed southward, but were moving at a slow crawl. They had exchanged casual greetings with the soldiers and then continued onward at a more determined pace. They had soon left the patrol well behind.

The downhill travel had soon levelled out again and had then been replaced by steep upward travel for a while. Just as they were finally reaching the top of the climb, Alex had spotted another one those of twisted spires that indicated the ruins of an Oblivion Gate. It was just to the right of the road and down the side of the slope a short way.

Alex had mentioned it and Monika confirmed that there was one just by the road. Once they reached the top of the rise, Alex could see it more properly. Since it was not surrounded by stone ruins like the one he had seen the day before, he could see this one more clearly. There were two large spires. Mostly black in colour, but with deep reddish colouring about the spiky parts. There were also a few smaller spires about the base, sticking up out of the ground at irregular angles. He had noted how the ground all about it seemed scorched and lifeless. He reminded himself that it must have been that way for nearly fifty years.

Alex was about to comment aloud, when his breath was taken away by what he had seen when he returned his gaze toward the road ahead. At the top of that rise, though the thin coverage of trees ahead, he could see the Imperial City. For the first time, it was not just the White-Gold Tower, but he could see the outer walls of the city itself. More than that, because the city itself was so large, he could also see just a bit of the city that lay inside those walls from that vantage.

Though he had not realised, Alex had apparently come to a complete halt.

"Alex." It was Monika calling out to him. She was standing several paces ahead with her hands on her hips. A general look of annoyance upon her face.

"Coming." He responded in a distracted fashion. He rushed to catch up.

"Hey." Monika drew his attention. "You need to stay focussed."

"I know." He agreed. He still managed to sound a little like a scolded child.

Just ahead, the road was turning downhill again, about to head into another steep decent. Monika had slowed to a crawl and then stopped. Alex had been trying to stay on task and had easily avoided running into her. He was still confused as to why she had stopped. He had not seen or heard anything unusual.

"What is it?" He asked quietly.

"Nothing." She answered. "It's still a bit early, but why don't we stop for a rest." More of a suggestion than a question. Monika had indicated a large shady tree by the side of the road. There was a good clear view of the city behind it.

It was probably at least another hour before noon. However, Alex had no firm objection to stopping. "Okay." He agreed, following her over to the tree.

Monika had looked about in each direction. It was a good spot to rest. Even more so, for their purposes. They could see quite clearly in every direction from there.

"Anyway, we have a good view from here." Monika said. Although it was still a primary concern, she wasn't only talking about the security of their position.

Alex had actually thought from her tone of voice that she might have been inferring more than just one thing. He looked at her more directly for clarity.

Monika grinned. "Go on. Get it out of your system." She glanced toward the city.

Alex turned to look upon the city again. "It is just amazing." His voice fully filled with a sense of wonder. "It must be huge."

"Yeah, it's pretty big." Monika agreed.

"Is it… is it complete circle? That main walled part?"

"Yeah. The whole layout is a circle, with the White-Gold Tower at the centre. See that?" Monika was pointing. "Those walls inside the city."

"Uh-huh." Alex murmured.

Monika continued. "See there? There's an inner ring that sections off the central Imperial District from the outer ring."

"Oh, yes. I can see that."

"And those other walls you can see there?" She had moved in close to point him toward what she described. "The outer ring of the city is sectioned off onto six equal sized districts."

"Uh-huh." Alex acknowledged. "What is that down there?" Alex pointed at the structure to the south of the city where a large wall rose up by the water.

"That's the docks and the Waterfront District."

"Is that where your mother and father met?"

"That's right. You can't see much from here, but there's a whole bunch of houses down there. More on the other side of that big stone structure." Monika directed Alex's attention to the surrounding body of water. "That waterway down there is all Lake Rumare. It goes all the way around the island that the city is on. Further south, the lake opens up into Niben Bay and that goes all the way out to the Topal Sea." She directed his gaze back toward the foreground. "That big bridge down there. That's the main way into the city."

"Oh, yes. What about that, over there? On the left." Alex pointed toward a walled fortified structure outside the main city walls with a central stone tower.

"That's the Imperial Prisons. That other place over the far side of the city." She directed his attention. "That's the Arcane University."

"Is that…? Alex started to ask.

"That's a bit complicated. Right now, the Emperor has the College of Whispers and The Synod sharing the place again. Making them work together. The College runs the stuff that the people have access to. The Synod are more secretive." She paused. "From what I understand, I think that The Synod do stuff with the Penitus Oculatus. Although… I'll admit I don't really know what they do."

Alex suddenly had a thought. "Is that how they are…?"

"That'd be my guess too." Monika agreed. "I haven't seen anyone following us. I'd bet that they're using magic to relay information from one spectre to the next. Watching us from a distance. Point to point."

"Hmm." Alex pondered. He agreed with the idea.

A quiet moment passed.

"We should eat something." Monika suggested, reaching into her pack.

They had something to eat and drink as they continued looking at the city. Both of them periodically checking that nobody approached from either direction. No one had so far.

After a while, Alex had commented. "I would have thought that those riders should have caught up by now".

"They wouldn't be in any hurry." Monika responded. "They're patrol might not even go this far. They tend to mix it up. Vary the length and time. Keeps it less predictable."

Alex just nodded. It made sense to him.

After a while, Alex spoke again as he looked toward the city. "Will we reach the city before nightfall?"

"We could." Monika responded. "But I think I'd prefer to arrive there more fresh."

Alex glanced at Monika. His expression indicated a question.

"See that down there?" Monika was pointing to a group of structures just on the western side of the bridge that led across the lake to the city. "That village is called Weye. I think we should stay at the inn down there for the night. Head into the city tomorrow, fully rested."

"That sounds okay." Alex agreed. "Tomorrow is… three days."

"The spectre said to take no more than three days." Monika said.

Alex nodded his agreement.

They rested for a while longer. There was need to rush. It would only take a few hours to reach their destination and most of it was downhill.

* * *

Eventually, Alex and Monika had set off again. They had still seen no one on the road. Alex had thought it a bit odd. He had considered it possible that many people might have overdone it bit during the festivities of the previous day. He made a comment to that effect.

Monika had shrugged and told him that some days were just like that, and some days were rather busy by comparison. Nonetheless, Alex tried to keep his mind upon the task.

The road was steep and winding as it made its way downward. It often turned back upon itself as it negotiated the sharp decent of the terrain. In a few places, there were wooden fences erected along the side of the road where sharp cliff faces marked the edge.

Just as they had rounded the last major left-hand bend on that downhill run, a scruffy looking Khajiit had suddenly emerged from behind the mounded earth on their left. He was one of the Suthay-raht Khajiit. The type most often seen outside of Elsweyr. One of his furry ears was half missing. He was attired in some sort of light mail armour in no better condition than the cat himself. He was brandishing a light shield and a long curved dagger.

"Hold, travellers." The scruffy Khajiit spoke in that lascivious Elsweyr accent typical of any Khajiit male, no matter what part of Tamriel that they inhabited.

Both Alex and Monika had come to a full stop and turned to face him. They had each adopted a stance of preparedness with hands upon their respective weapons.

"Does this one smell gold?" He almost purred. A devious grin spread across his feline face as he waved his dagger in a menacing manner.

Almost simultaneously, both Alex and Monika had drawn melee weapons and slid their shields off their shoulders in smooth action.

"Are you serious?" Monika challenged the Khajiit.

"Ah…" The Khajiit pondered momentarily.

Neither Monika nor Alex moved, but appeared fully prepared to spring into action.

Suddenly, the Khajiit had ducked off to their right and then proceeded to bolt at full tilt. He moved like the wind, his tail flicking wildly from side to side as he sprinted down the road away from them in the direction of the city.

"Should we…?" Alex asked.

"No, let him go." Monika said. "Not our problem today."

They watched as the Khajiit just kept running all the way down toward where The Black Road joined to The Red Ring Road.

Alex and Monika just stood there and watched. He was still running after several moments had passed by.

"He is not slowing down at all." Alex had commented, sounding almost impressed.

"No. I don't he'll make it, though." Monika pointed just downhill to the right a little. Two Legion riders had just appeared from behind some trees further down along the road. They had prompted their mounts to a gallop in response to the running Khajiit.

"Ooh." Alex murmured. "That was close." He sounded like he was rooting for the would-be bandit as he observed the Khajiit narrowly evading the mounted soldiers closing upon him.

"He's quite nimble." Monika commented.

The Khajiit had just ducked out of reach of the soldiers as they closed on him. The Legion riders had shot straight past him and the cat had left the road for a short distance. He quickly returned to the road and continued down the hill at speed. He soon disappeared over a rise and out of sight. The soldiers had managed to turn about and continued pursuit.

"He might just get away." Alex suggested as they started to walk again in that same direction.

"Maybe." Monika conceded. "Then again, if he sticks to the road like that, he'll probably just find another Imperial Patrol. Looks like they know all about him."

* * *

Alex and Monika continued along the road. Just a bit further along, the ruins of another old fort came into view. Although constructed from the same stone, it didn't look much like Fort Ash. It was more low and spread out. A few trees and shrubs obscured much of it. The immediate surrounds appeared fairly overgrown with grasses.

Alex was giving it far more than a cursory glance.

"That's the old Fort Nikel ruins." Monika told him.

"It is not used at all?" Alex asked.

"No. Except when bandits move in." Monika was now looking at the ruins. "Those two riders just came out of there. It's a fair call that the Legion is keeping it cleared. It's too close to Weye to allow bandits to operate out of it."

Alex just nodded his acceptance.

Monika stopped walking as they neared the outermost stones of the ruins.

"Hey. I've got an idea." She said.

Alex seemed a bit startled as he stopped beside her.

"Let's cut across behind the fort." Monika suggested. "There's a little freshwater lake just up there on the hill."

Alex raised his eyebrows.

"If no one else is about, we can take a quick swim." She said.

"Is that a good idea?" Alex expressed his concern.

"I don't know about you, but I'm fairly sweaty. I could really use a good clean up, and the facilities in that inn are terrible."

"You know what I mean." Alex protested.

"Come on." Monika started across the field to their right. "Any other day, this is exactly what I'd do." She turned to check that he was following.

Alex rushed to catch up. He was still looking about in each direction.

They walked up a mild hill through the long grass. They passed close to the ruins of some stone walls that must have surrounded the fort in days long gone. Alex had kept a weary eye out for unexpected trouble. Monika was also being watchful, but seemed more confident.

Just near the top of the rise, there were several large boulders. Then suddenly, the small lake that Monika had spoken of had appeared in their path.

The lake was actually quite difficult to see from any nearby location. Due to the sharply rising terrain along its western edge, it was probably not even visible from the hills above. It seemed evident that the small body of water was filled by run-off from those hills above. During rains, the flow would run down into the natural depression where the higher ground met the low rolling hills below. The lake was perhaps twenty paces across at its widest point. It was about eighty or ninety paces in length.

Monika had paused to look about as they reached the edge of the water.

They had a good view of the Fort Nikel ruins from there. There was still no one about as far they could see. The remaining walls of the ruins and a low rising hill covered in grasses and lavender had obscured the view toward Weye. Even so, it was no more than half an hour away at casual pace.

Monika had suggested that they walk around to the other end of the lake. It would provide opportunity to check the area more thoroughly.

They walked up a slight rise as they moved toward to the far end. Alex had spotted a glimpse of a thatched roof through the trees to the east. He presumed it to be part of the village of Weye.

Just short of the far end of the waterway, there was ditch dug into the ground. It ran from the small lake toward fields down near Weye. It was an irrigation ditch. Although easy enough to step across, it was quite deep. To get the water past the steep rise of the embankment, it needed to be. There was a sluice set into the ditch to control water flow. It was an indication that people came up there, but there was nobody about just then.

They stopped by the water's edge near the southern end of the small lake. Monika took another quick look about. Satisfied that they were alone, she dropped her equipment down beside a large boulder near the water's edge. She sat down upon the rock and pulled off her boots.

Alex was still looking off down the hill. He was thinking that they should just keep heading to their destination. "Are you sure that…?"

"It's fine." Monika asserted, as she peeled off her leathers.

Alex turned to take another good look in each direction. He turned back to say something, but instantly forgot what it was. He was a bit distracted as he watched Monika getting into the water.

"Come on." She insisted. "We can't take all day."

"What about the…?" Alex was wondering about the pouch.

"Right there. Where I can see it." She indicated her pile of clothes. The handle of her dagger peeked out from the pile.

Reluctantly, Alex had set down his equipment next to Monika's and started to remove his own attire.

"Hurry up." Monika prompted him. "Like I said, we shouldn't be too long."

Alex complied. He made a neat pile of his armour and clothing. He took another concerned look about before heading to the water. He noted that Monika was watching him with a bemused expression as he tested the water with his foot.

Since it was near the end of Sun's Height, it was still quite warm even in the late afternoon. Especially so, compared to Falkreath. Accordingly, the water had seemed quite warm as Alex splashed his foot in the water.

Monika was standing further out where the water reached almost up to her neck. She was rubbing the water over her shoulders, but still watching Alex. Or perhaps watching their gear piled just behind him.

Alex stepped forward. The bottom dropped off steeply. He suddenly found himself immersed up past his waist. He also suddenly realised that only the top layer was warm. Below that, the still waters were markedly colder.

"Ah. Ah. Ah." Alex spurted.

Monika chuckled mischievously at the expression on Alex's face as he tensed and squirmed at the icy assault about his nether regions.

"It's not that cold." Monika said, splashing him with water.

His response came in the form of a returned wave of water in her direction.

A few more splashes were flicked at one another as they both laughed. Alex stepped into the water a bit further. He had adjusted to the temperature somewhat.

Monika had dunked her head and ran her fingers though her hair to wash away the sweat from the day's journey.

Alex had been just standing there in the water watching her.

She took at step forward and rubbed the water over his shoulder. "Come on. You're here to get cleaned up, not watch me."

Alex had a stupid grin on his face. "I can do both." He started to wash himself.

"Hurry up, then." She splashed him again. She glanced over at their equipment before rinsing her hair again.

Alex followed suit and rinsed his own hair. When he opened his eyes, Monika was slowly making her way back out of the water.

She turned back briefly. "Don't be too long."

Alex made an effort to finish washing as he watched her rising from the water. He kept watching as she stepped back up onto the stony shore. Alex had decided that the quick swim was not such a bad idea after all.

After a short moment, Alex had followed Monika out of the water.

Monika had again taken a quick look about to satisfy herself that there was nobody about. She then settled back upon the boulder to dry in the afternoon sun.

Alex also looked about to check the area as he stepped out of the water. However, he remained more than a little distracted by Monika sunning herself upon the boulder.

Monika had glanced in his direction as he approached. "I thought you found the water a bit cold."

Alex had glanced downward and then looked back at her with a boyish smirk. "Uh… it was not all that cold."

"Save it for later." She tried to look serious, but a little smirk of her own had undermined her tone. "We'll head off once we're dry."

Alex settled upon the boulder next to her. He tried to turn his thoughts back to keeping a watchful eye outward.

Monika had reached into her pack and found a wide comb. She ran it through her hair before passing it to Alex. After a short while longer, she had slapped him on the thigh and got up from the boulder.

"Come on." She said as she rummaged through her pack. "Let's get dressed and head over to Weye."

Alex responded accordingly.

"Just plain clothes." Monika suggested. "We shouldn't need any armour."

Alex dug out a shirt and trousers to wear as he packed his other gear away.

Monika had slipped on a light white cotton dress and her sandals. He had briefly wondered why she was dressing like that. She usually wore trousers. Alex had noted that her dress had seemed rather short. He was presumably noting it a bit too much.

"Take this." Monika slapped the document pouch against his belly.

He looked back up at Monika after taking the pouch from her.

"Hide it under your shirt." She instructed him. It was obvious that Monika would not be able to hide much of anything with what she was wearing.

They gathered their packs and the rest of their equipment, then headed over the hill toward the village.

* * *

After only a short while, Monika and Alex had cleared the rolling hill that had kept the village just out of sight. There was farmhouse and a few crop fields just ahead of them. Beyond that, lay the village of Weye.

The owner of the farm was doing something at the edge of one of the fields nearest to the farmhouse. He had noticed Alex and Monika coming down the hill beside his fields. He had offered a wave of acknowledgment, but otherwise went about his business.

They soon reached The Red Ring Road just past that small farm. Rather than cutting through the houses ahead, they had followed the road as it wound around into the village.

As Monika had told Alex, that road ran all the way around Lake Rumare and included a high bridge that crossed the Niben a little further to the south. Either directly or indirectly, all the roads that led to each of the other cities of Cyrodiil connected to The Red Ring Road.

They were more signs of activity as they walked into Weye. A farmer on a small rickety wagon had passed them outbound, headed northward. His old horse had looked almost as rickety as the wagon. Off to the south, another two Legion riders were slowly approaching along the road. An old woman sitting upon her front porch had given them a brief friendly wave as they passed her by.

The road widened considerably where each of the branches converged at the main pathway leading directly to the large bridge that crossed Lake Rumare to the city. Along either side of that road was the main area of the village of Weye. Aside from the inn and a rather poor excuse for a stabling facility, there were only five houses. Including those small houses back by the branches of The Red Ring Road and two farmhouses further out, there were no more than twelve structures in the entire settlement.

Along that main road, there were some more signs of activity in view. There was an elderly woman with a small stall just near the bridge. A couple of fishermen working on nets near the house just behind her. Under the open thatched roof that served as a stable of sorts, a young boy sat dozing against a post. Just two horses were stabled in the shade.

Some traffic could be seen on the large stone bridge. There was a larger loaded wagon heading across the bridge toward the city. A few other people were crossing the bridge on foot going in either direction.

Much of that activity was probably marking the end of the day for some. It was not yet quite that close to sunset, but it was not all that far off. It actually seemed a little later than it was. That was because the sun had begun to disappear behind some light cloud as it drew low over the forested hills to the west.

An old man was snoozing on a bench outside the Wawnet Inn as Monika and Alex approached. He did not stir at all.

From the outside, the inn appeared rather run down compared to some of the better looking establishments of Chorrol. Probably not much better than the ones that Monika would normally reject out of hand, only perhaps a bit larger.

They entered the front door to the Wawnet Inn. It was rather cramped about the front entryway. Some stone stairs to the left led to an upper floor. The main tavern area was off to the right. They needed to head straight into the tavern to avoid blocking the passage. Beyond the immediate vicinity of sparsely placed lamps and candles, the place was rather poorly lit. That was perhaps intentional. The outside appearance of the inn was a fair reflection of the inside.

There were only two customers in the tavern. A rowdy pair of men at a table in the corner farthest from the front door. It was not yet dark outside, but they both seemed already quite drunk.

A doorway could be seen in the middle of the back wall, leading into a hall. It was not immediately obvious what lay beyond. The tavern bar appeared at Alex's left as they moved into the room. There was another passageway in the back corner over behind the bar.

"What can I do for you?" A dark haired woman of typical Imperial countenance had suddenly appeared behind the bar. She seemed perhaps only a couple of years younger than Alex. It was hard to tell in that lighting. Alex might have thought that she appeared vaguely pretty, but he didn't really pay that much attention.

Since he was nearer, Alex began to answer. "Hello, we…"

He was cut off by the woman at the bar.

"Is that you?" She said, looking past Alex.

"Hello, Julia." Monika spoke evenly, stepping up beside Alex.

"Long time, since you've been here." Julia said.

"A few months." Monika responded.

"At least that long." Julia commented. She had glanced back toward Alex, looking him up and down.

"This is Alex. He's with me." There was hint of something in Monika's tone that Julia had acknowledged with a brief look. In fact, there had been a subtle measure of underlying tension to each of their tones throughout the brief exchange. Alex had not been paying attention, instead taking note of the two noisy drunks over behind them.

"So, are you just stopping in for a drink?" Julia seemed polite, if not overly friendly.

"Yeah, that too." Monika agreed. "We're also after a room for the night."

"Is that Monika?" A frail voice called out from down the passage behind the bar area.

"Yeah." Julia sung out as she turned her head in that direction.

Alex had also looked toward the source of the voice with some curiosity.

A very elderly Altmer woman with white hair had slowly emerged from the back area and moved gradually toward them. She moved around to the front side of the bar, seemingly holding the edge of the table for support as she walked. Her features were long and gaunt. That was fairly typical of many High Elves. However, those characteristics were further accentuated by her advanced years. She had probably seemed much taller when she was younger. The years had also worn against her overall height. With her slumping posture, she had seemed barely as tall as Monika.

Alex had stepped back slightly as the old woman approached Monika. Only once she was very close, did he notice her eyes. They both seemed pale and milky. She seemed blind, or at the least, very nearly so. Once she was close enough, she had reached out to take Monika's arm.

"Hello, Nerussa." Monika spoke in a soft tone.

"Monika." Nerussa said warmly. "It's been a while since you have visited."

"A little while." Monika conceded.

"Have you been well?"

"Well enough. How about you?"

"Well enough for an old woman. Let me see you." Nerussa moved in close to peer at Monika. An indication that she could still see, even if only a little. She had reached up and touched Monika's hair. "Your hair is longer again. You should let it grow. It suits you far better that way."

"Yes, Nerussa." Monika accepted.

Nerussa had dropped her hand back down to Monika's arm. She brought her other hand up and touched Monika about the ribs. "Are you eating enough? You seem thin."

"I'm eating quite well. I do a lot brisk activity. You know that."

"You're still doing that Fighter's Guild work, then?"

"Yes, Nerussa."

"You should put that aside before you get hurt."

"Maybe, in a while."

"Who is this?" Nerussa had reached out with one hand and took Alex's arm. Her grip seemed far more firm than her frail appearance might have suggested.

"This is Alex Pinewatch. I am training him for the Fighter's Guild." Monika answered.

"Hello, ma'am." Alex said cordially.

"Don't call me ma'am." She responded tartly. "I am Nerussa."

"Hello, Nerussa." Alex corrected himself.

Nerussa leaned in closer toward Alex. "What was your name? Alex, was it?"

"Alex Pinewatch." He said.

Nerussa leaned in even closer, maintaining a surprising grip upon his arm as she examined him more closely. "Are you… are you a Nord boy?"

"Uh… yes, Nerussa. I am from Falkreath."

"A Nord boy. From Falkreath." Nerussa affirmed. "Monika's mother married a Nord. Did you know that?"

"Uh… yes, Nerussa."

"Monika's mother and I were good friends… before she went away to the north."

Alex did not say anything.

Nerussa had turned back toward Monika. "What about Elwyn? How is your mother? Have you heard from her at all?"

"She's still in Wayrest." Monika offered. "The last I heard, she's still doing well."

"How long ago was that?" Nerussa asked.

"Just last year, when I received a letter. I told you about that."

"I… I remember. You should write to her more often."

"Yes, I should."

"You tell me when you hear back." Nerussa insisted.

"I will."

"Tell her you have spoken to me, also." Nerussa added.

"I'll do that." Monika agreed.

"That's good." Nerussa settled. "Julia." She called out.

"I'm right here." Julia responded, from just behind the bar.

"I want you to get some food and drink for Monika… and for the young Nord… Alex."

"I'll do that."

"No charge for the meal." Nerussa instructed.

"No charge." Julia repeated in a flat tone.

"That's not…" Monika started.

"No." Nerussa interrupted. "I insist on it." She gripped Monika's arm firmly.

"Very well, thank you Nerussa." Monika conceded.

"It's nearly night. You should stay here tonight."

"Of course."

"Julia." Nerussa called out again."

"Right here."

"Organise rooms for Monika and… Alex."

"We just need the one." Monika said.

Nerussa reached out and touched Alex's arm again, but kept facing Monika. A subtle hint of a tight grin upon her aged face. "Organise a room for them. A good one upstairs. Not one out the back. Special pricing for friends."

"Yes, Nerussa." Julia acknowledged. Her tone remained flat.

Nerussa turned toward Alex. "You wait here for Julia to serve you." She turned back to Monika. "Come, sit with me and tell me what you have been up to."

Alex stepped aside to make way as Monika helped Nerussa over to a nearby table.

Alex waited at the bar as Monika and Nerussa sat and talked. Eventually, Julia had provided two bowls of a spicy broth with some bread rolls. He had also ordered drinks and paid for a room located upstairs. Nerussa and Monika had still been talking as Alex brought their meals and drinks to the table. Really, Nerussa had seemed to be doing most of the talking. Monika had seemed only to respond with shorter comments to Nerussa's lengthier offerings.

"Oh." Nerussa had paused as she sniffed the air. "Your meal is here. I shouldn't keep you any longer. Eat while it's still hot." She started get up from her chair.

"No. It's all right." Monika said.

"Nonsense." Nerussa stood, patting Monika on the arm. "I get tired these days. I need to rest. I'm not getting any younger."

"It is good to see you again Nerussa." Monika said evenly.

"You come and visit more often."

"I will."

Nerussa turned and found Alex's shoulder. "You do what she tells you."

"I will, Nerussa." Alex replied.

"Make sure you help Monika if she needs it. I used to know her mother."

"Yes, Nerussa."

Nerussa nodded. She then slowly turned and made her way back to the area out behind the bar.

Monika watched her leave before examining her broth and bread roll. Alex wasted no time tasting his own. After only a few mouthfuls of the broth, he had taken a sip of his drink.

"This is quite spicy." Alex commented.

"Mmm, it's good." Monika responded between spoonfuls.

Alex again paused after a little more. He seemed to like the broth, but it was just a bit richer than he was used to. "That was interesting." He said.

"Mmm?" Monika prompted.

"Nerussa." Alex said.

Monika looked up briefly. After a few more spoonfuls of broth, she responded. "As she mentioned, she was my mother's friend… from the old days. They've known each other since my mother was young. Much younger than me."

Alex nodded as he tried some more broth.

Just then, a couple of Legion soldiers came into the tavern. Monika had glanced in their direction. Alex had turned only briefly to look. The soldiers went straight to the bar and ordered drinks.

"Nerussa has owned this inn for years." Monika continued. "Since the time of the last emperor. Uriel Septim… the seventh."

"She reminds me a little of my grandmother." Alex said.

Monika returned a subtle smile. "I never knew my grandmother, but I like to think she might have been a bit like Nerussa." She continued eating. She also glanced at the soldiers as they passed by headed for a table to sit at.

The soldiers settled not far from the two rowdy drunks, removing their helmets and placing them upon the table. Both were men of typical Imperial appearance. Both in their late thirties or early forties. They sipped at their drinks, taking only casual interest in the drunks. Just in case they caused any trouble.

After a short while, Monika had finished her meal. Alex was still struggling with the spices, taking regular sips of his drink.

Another two people had come into the tavern area. One looked like the elderly woman from the stall near the bridge. The man with her looked like one of the fishermen.

Once Alex had finally finished with his broth, Monika had asked him to watch her stuff as she went off to the bathroom through the hallway at the back. After she had returned, Alex visited the bathroom as she watched their gear.

By the time Alex had returned, another three people had appeared in the tavern. They all looked like locals from the village.

Since the tavern was slowing growing more crowded, Monika had suggested that they retire to their room. They gathered up their belongings and headed off upstairs. The stairway seemed a bit poorly lit until they reached the hallway above the tavern. Monika had taken out the key to their room and led Alex all the way along the hall to the end.

"It's this one." Monika said, as she fumbled with the key in the old lock.

That room seemed rather cramped compared to those of the Oak and Crosier or Fort Ash. Still, it was quite clean and tidy. The double-sized bed occupied the middle of the room, not leaving all that much room at either side.

Alex shuffled around Monika as she closed the door and locked it behind them. He had noted a portrait of an Altmer man that was hung upon the side wall. The elderly High Elf seemed rather distinguished in appearance.

"Who is that?" Alex asked. "Was he Nerussa's husband?"

Monika had chuckled in response. "No. That's just a portrait of Ocato… the High Chancellor." She started to pile her equipment on top of the set of drawers in the corner.

"The one that headed the Elder Council?"

"Yeah. The Elder Council. He tried to hold the Empire together after Martin Septim was gone. Well, up until he was assassinated."

"Why the portrait?"

"Nerussa has portraits like that in each of the rooms. There's Titus Mede in the next room and Uriel Septim in the next one."

Alex nodded in acceptance.

Monika explained further. "Nerussa is staunchly loyal to the Empire and everything it represents. She'll go on about it for ages, if you ask her about it."

Alex started to pack his valuables into the lock-up chest, as Monika continued.

"She says it's about a lot more than just which bloodline rules over the Empire. Each one is an important symbol, but it's also about how they rule the people and hold the Empire together… No, not that." Monika was referring to the document pouch that Alex removed from under his shirt. "Keep that with us."

Alex complied, keeping hold of the pouch. He proceeded to pile the rest of his equipment upon the set of drawers in the corner of the room next to Monika's pile. She shuffled past him to gain access to the chest.

"Nerussa says that the Empire is about holding all of the peoples of Tamriel together as a cooperative society." Monika continued. "That's why she has Ocato in her best room."

Alex glanced back at Monika to indicate he was still listening, but she seemed to have finished with the topic.

She sat back upon the bed. There was no where else to sit, and not so much room for standing. Alex sat down beside her, still looking up at the portrait on the wall.

"Listen, Nerussa mentioned some things to me just before." Monika said. "Over the years, she hears a lot of things. Adventurers and the like often come through here. Sometimes they talk about old ruins and other places. Some talk about old Ayleid artefacts and those sorts of things. Some are asking… and some are talking about what they have heard from others."

She paused. Alex was listening with interest.

"Well, there's been a bit more of that lately." Monika said. "A lot more than usual."

"What does that mean?" Alex asked.

"I don't know. Nor does Nerussa. She just thinks it seems a bit unusual."

Alex waited a moment before speaking. "What do you think?"

"About that? I don't know." Monika paused. "Maybe I'm just a bit edgy about doing a job for the spectres, but when Nerussa seems… edgy…"

"It should be fine." Alex tried to sound reassuring. "We will drop this off in the morning and then we move on."

"Yeah." Monika conceded, looking up at the portrait.

Monika reminded Alex that they should hang out their armour to air. There wasn't much room for that. Alex had managed to arrange the armour hanging in the wardrobe with the door left open.

After extinguishing most of the lights, they undressed and settled into the bed for the evening. The document pouch remained tucked firmly under a pillow.

After a short while, Alex had reminded Monika of something that she had said back at the small lake. It was while longer before they actually went to sleep.

~O~


	13. Chapter 13

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 13

Loredas the 22nd of Sun's Height 4E48

Coming in from the window above the bed, the reflection of the dawn light upon the wall woke Alex. His stirring had woken Monika. However, she had insisted that it was far too early to rush off. There was no point in heading to the city until the normal morning activity was up and running.

Accordingly, they had waited in bed a little longer than usual. They drank some water and had something light to eat from their supplies.

Alex had been idly gazing at the portrait of Ocato for a while, as he considered something. "Nerussa must be quite old."

"Hmm?" Monika indicated her attention. "Oh, fairly old, I suppose. But maybe not quite as old as you might think."

Alex turned to Monika, a question indicated in his expression.

Monika explained. "Nerussa used to have uh… quite exotic tastes… and she probably indulged far too much."

Alex narrowed his eyes.

Monika clarified. "She used to collect all sorts of fine wines and spirits. Some were very rare and exotic. She didn't just collect them, though. The effects of some of them… well, that added up over the years." Monika left it at that.

Alex did not press any further.

After a short silence, they had talked for a while about the immediate plan for the day, waiting just a little longer before preparing to head off.

As Monika had suggested, they dressed in plain trousers and shirts. There was no reason to wear armour. Their packs and equipment marked them as travellers, but there was no need to draw further attention to their appearance.

They had eventually gone downstairs to the main tavern area. Monika went off to speak briefly with Nerussa. Alex had waited at the table nearest to the bar. He had noticed that Julia had seemed unusually friendly in Monika's absence. He remained polite, but chose to ignore the overly flirtatious nature of her attempts to make idle conversation.

After only a short wait, Monika had returned and they departed the Wawnet Inn.

* * *

Although it was still early, the promise of a warm day was already in the air. The signs of activity were already apparent. There were a few people crossing the bridge toward the city. A farmer's wagon was approaching the village along The Red Ring Road. It had apparently come from the northern branch of the road. Another could be seen coming over the hill from the south branch. A Legion patrol was ambling outbound just near that second wagon.

As Alex and Monika neared the bridge, they could see some fishermen. There were two men with a small boat and nets by the shores of the lake just south of the bridge. There were a few more boats out on the water with pole fishermen.

The stone bridge itself was huge. It could easily accommodate two wagons abreast with room to spare. Alex was certain that the tall support towers of the bridge were much taller than the walls of Chorrol.

About half way across the bridge, Alex was looking over to the left and had noticed some structures upon the north-western end of the island. There were only a couple of buildings and some crop fields. There were also rows of other things that he could not immediately make out. Monika had informed him that it was a training camp for Legion recruits. Those rows of objects were tents.

Once across the bridge, the road climbed the ascent toward the city walls. It was quite steep, but only a short distance. A few lesser paths led away from the main road off to the north and south.

In the morning shadow of the walls, there was a small house and a sizeable stabling facility. A number of stable workers toiled over the horses. An old man sat upon a seat on the porch at the front of the house. He was puffing on a pipe as he watched them pass by. He did not stir at all.

Two city guards stood at the main gates to the city. They both seemed friendly enough. One of them had casually asked about the purpose of their visit to the city. Monika had told him that they were Fighter's Guild and offered to present her documents. The city guard had just waved them through without issue, satisfied with her word.

They passed through the gates into the Talos Plaza district of the Imperial City.

* * *

Only a few steps past the city gates, Alex had slowed, astounded by what he could see all about him. There was stone everywhere. At first glance, that was all he could see. He did spot just a few shrubs in front of some stone walls. Many of the buildings seemed almost as high as the city walls. Looking to his left, the buildings that he could immediately see had appeared as part of the same continuous stone structure. It followed the curve along the paved street that lined the outer city wall. It was almost a mirror image to his right. There were also doors into the city wall, indicating that the thick wall was also an inhabited structure.

Alex was roused from his daze as Monika took him by the arm and steered him forward. They headed across that outermost street and up the stone stairs through an archway.

There were people everywhere, but Alex had hardly noticed them. The grandeur of the stone city demanded his full attention.

He had vaguely heard Monika tell him that they were in the Talos Plaza. It was a circular area with a statue of a dragon at the centre. It was a representation of Akatosh, the chief deity of the Nine Divines. The building immediately to his right was signed as the Tiber Septim Hotel. There were several other large structures that lined the plaza, but nothing that clearly indicated name or purpose. Paved streets in three other directions led away from that central plaza area.

Monika had guided Alex straight ahead across the plaza to the street that continued eastward. The stone stairs up ahead led to a large door in the tall curved wall that marked the edge of that outer district. He had noticed a small open waterway that ran along the edge of those large walls ahead. The stairway passed over the top the water. As they approached those stairs, Alex had glanced back and spotted some trees for the first time. There were some small green areas behind some of the buildings. There was even some grass. Those small areas seemed like islands of green in the sea of stone.

Passing through the doors at the top of the stairs into the central district of the city, they entered The Green Emperor Way, as it was called. Alex was again astounded by the view.

The huge open circular area was fully dominated by the raised stone platform at the centre. The base of the White-Gold Tower rose from that central platform, up into the sky. It seemed even more enormous up close. However, aside from the breathtaking sensation of actually seeing it from so near, it was still more or less what Alex had come to expect.

The rest of that central district seemed more of a surprise to Alex. Between the outer wall and central tower area, the open space was dominated by green. Trees and shrubs punctuated the cropped green grass. Scattered throughout those green areas were many gravestones in neat well-spaced rows. There were also a few mausoleums. Presumably belonging to wealthy or important families. There were also several statues of varied sizes throughout the space. It was not immediately obvious to Alex whether they were related to the gravestones or whether they were memorials of some other purpose.

Several people appeared to be wandering the open space. Some seemed to be just passing through on their way to one of the other outer districts. Alex spotted a mother with two children playing in the shade of a tree. It seemed to be open public space. Alex had expected something different.

Monika had urged Alex forward along the path that led to the central area. The tower loomed large overhead. The morning sun was blocked by the structure as they approached the stone stairs that led to the raised area about its base.

Alex had looked up at the tower as they climbed the stairs. He knew that it housed the Imperial City Palace and the Elder Council Chambers. However, he could not begin to imagine what else might be inside, or even estimate how many levels might occupy the tower.

The large ornate doors at the base of the tower were across the walkway immediately ahead of them. Two Imperial guards wearing elaborate armour stood at each side of the doors. Their attention shifted as it became obvious that Monika and Alex were actually approaching the entrance to the tower.

Monika stepped ahead of Alex and approached one of the guards.

"State your business." The guard said in a mechanical tone.

"Monika Northwind of the Fighter's Guild. I have a delivery for Martin Hand." She spoke in an official manner.

The two guards looked at one another. It was obvious that they understood.

"And this one?" The guard indicated Alex with a glance.

"Alex Pinewatch. My guild-mate." She offered.

"Papers?" The guard prompted.

Both Monika and Alex provided their Fighter's Guild documents. The guard seemed satisfied. He nodded to the other one.

"Go with him." The guard instructed.

That other guard led Monika and Alex through the doors. Inside the tower, they found themselves standing in a hallway that curved away in each direction. It seemed to run the length of the outer wall of the tower. Two other guards dressed in the same attire stood by another set of doors across the hall.

"Wait here." The guard said. He had made a silent gesture to the other two guards that stood by the inner doors, indicating that they should keep watch over Monika and Alex.

They waited in silence. The doors between those guards appeared even more ornate than the ones outside. Statues stood at either side of the doors. They appeared either newer or just cleaner than other statues outside. The floors of the hall were lined with longs mats cut to match the curvature. Drapes and tapestries lined the walls of the hallway at regular intervals.

After a few moments, the guard had returned with yet another guard of similar appearance. He returned back outside to his post as the new guard arrived to take charge.

"Come with me." The new guard instructed Monika and Alex.

They followed that guard along the curved hallway off to the right. He led them for quite a distance before they encountered a rampart that took them up a level and through a door. They continued to follow the curved hallway on that second level. It was immediately less decorated than the lower level. They passed several rather ordinary wooden doors along the way. After a while, they had ascended yet another level and continued along that similar looking hallway. They had passed several more doors before the guard finally stopped.

"In here." The guard said, as he opened the door.

Monika and Alex stepped into the room. The guard remained by the doorway.

"Wait in here. You will be attended shortly." The guard said. He then stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

The room was rather ordinary in appearance and not very large. There was enough room for the small rectangular wooden table at the centre and the chairs around it. Two at either side. Not all that much space for anything else. The stone walls were bare. As was the floor.

After a few lengthy moments, Monika lowered her pack and equipment to the floor and took a seat. Alex did the same.

"Do you think that we will be here long?" Alex asked quietly.

"I don't know." Monika responded. "I expect that they usually do these kinds of things in their own time."

Alex just nodded. He had been looking at the door. He had observed a shadow just below the base of the door. It shifted just a little.

Monika spoke. "That would be the guard. To make sure that we stay put."

They waited in silence for a while longer. Upon several occasions, they had heard footsteps come and go as somebody had passed by outside. Eventually, someone had arrived at the door.

They had heard an older man's voice outside say something unintelligible. Then the door was opened by the guard standing outside. An older man stepped past the guard into the room. The guard closed the door behind from the outside.

The older man was dressed casually. He carried a scroll under one arm and a small bag slung over his shoulder. His hair was greying, but not yet completely grey. His voice sounded much older, but he looked like he was probably in his early fifties. His general appearance marked him as an Imperial.

Alex and Monika had moved to get up from their seats.

"No, don't get up." The man said, moving to take a seat on the opposite side of the table. "So, you're the couriers from the Fighter's Guild?" It was not really a question.

"Yes." Monika confirmed. "We were sent from the Chorrol office.

"Of course." He responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

The older man had then proceeded to withdraw a worn book from his bag, as well as a quill and inkpot. He opened the book and found the page he was looking for.

Looking up with pale blue eyes, the man commented. "You were expected sooner."

Alex and Monika had glanced fleetingly at one another. Monika spoke up. "We were told to take no longer than three days. It is not quite that, right now."

"Quite right." He agreed. He had again referred to the notes to in his book. "It seems that your journey was not as quiet as some might prefer." His tone was as flat as his facial expression as he looked up from book.

Alex and Monika had again exchanged subtle sideways glances.

Monika spoke evenly. "We were told to behave normal."

The older man countered. "I believe that the instruction was to attract no unusual attention." His tone again remained neutral.

Monika responded. "We acted as we normally might, instead of like… like agents of the Penitus Oculatus."

After a moment, the older man commented. "Very well. I suppose that you have at that." Another pause. "You have the delivery?"

Alex withdrew the pouch from under his shirt and placed it upon the table.

The man examined the pouch, paying special attention to the seal. "Very good." He said. He paused to make a note in his book.

Monika and Alex had continued to watch in silence.

"Oh, yes. The matter of payment." The older man said. He reached into his bag and withdrew a bulging satchel. "As per the terms of contract, the sum of eight hundred." He placed it in the middle of the table.

Monika took possession of the satchel.

"You may check the coin, if you wish." The man suggested.

"I'm sure it's correct." Monika responded.

The man nodded slightly. After another pause, he spoke. "Only one further matter remains to be attended."

Both Monika and Alex looked at him with expectation.

The man unfurled the scroll that he had previously placed upon the table. "It is merely a formality. I would ask you both to sign this document of confidentiality."

Monika spoke up. "The Fighter's Guild contact…"

"Yes, yes. I understand." He interrupted. "This document is one of ours. It indicates that you agree that you will not speak of any service that you have performed in this matter, nor of anything that you have observed in the tower in the course of that service. That of course includes this meeting."

Monika stared at the man for a lengthy moment. Alex had been watching Monika. He had noted the colour of her eyes had shifted from their usual amber tone to a darker shade of brown. He was beginning to recognise how that reflected her shift in mood.

The older man broke the silence. "As I said, this is merely a formality. I understand that the Fighter's Guild contract implies the same thing. This merely confirms your full understanding and compliance in the matter, of course."

"Of course." Monika responded in a guarded tone.

"Allow me to confirm that I have your names correctly." The man paused to glance at the scroll. "Monika Northwind… and Alexander Pinewatch?"

"Yes. Both correct." Monika answered for both of them.

"Very good." The man accepted. "You should sign here… and here, beneath each of your names."

Monika took the quill and signed. As did Alex.

"Very good." The man said.

Monika and Alex looked at the older man expectantly as he packed away his items back into his bag.

"I thank you both for your service to the Empire." He rose from his chair. "The guard outside will escort you from the tower."

Alex and Monika had quickly gathered their equipment. The older man gave them a final silent nod and left through the door, heading off to the left along the corridor. The guard waited for Monika and Alex to join him and then escorted them back the way they had come.

* * *

They exited the tower, returning to the open space of The Green Emperor Way. In a brisk fashion, Monika had headed directly back along the path they had followed earlier. Alex had matched her pace.

Neither had spoken since leaving that small room in the tower. Alex had glanced at Monika a number of times. She had maintained a look of determination as she strode. She seemed to be caught up in thought.

The pace of their march had only been broken once they had reached the gate at the outer wall of the central district. They passed through back into the Talos Plaza District.

"What now?" Alex had asked, before they regained any haste of motion.

Monika slowed to a halt and faced Alex. "Well, we've done what we came to do."

"What next, then?"

"I'm not sure."

"I was hoping that we could see the city." Alex said hopefully. "Since we are here."

Monika seemed to relax her shoulders a little. The hint of a slight smile emerged. "I suppose we could do that."

Alex's smile was rather broad and unrestrained. "That would be good."

After a pause, Monika spoke. "Where would you like to start?"

Alex glanced about in each direction. "Uh… why not here?"

"Why not." Monika responded. She took him by the arm and they continued back toward the central plaza of the district at a more leisurely pace.

Excepted for the noises of the city, they had mostly walked in relative silence. The crowds of people had thinned a little from earlier. There were still quite a few people about the central plaza area, but it was rather less crowded as they headed along the other streets. Monika had pointed out the three taverns and inns of the district as they passed them by. However, most of the buildings of that district appeared to be residences. Quite a few of them seemed to indicate wealthy owners.

Alex had also observed how the barracks of the city guard were built into the towers of the outer city walls. He noticed two of them, one each of the outer corners of the district.

There were also a number of private residences built into the outer wall between the main gate and the guard towers.

Alex had taken interest in the garden areas nestled in behind the back of the tall buildings. He was surprised that they seemed to thrive, considering that they would likely be in shadow for a notable part of each day. Even more so in winter.

The noise of running footsteps on the cobbled streets had caused brief alarm at one point. However, it was only some children playing some sort of game in the street. From their general appearance, they did not seem to belong to that wealthier district. The main group had dashed by, laughing and looking back as they passed.

Another child was trailing a short distance behind. He was an Argonian boy. Alex had not seen many Argonians before. They were few in Skyrim. He had never seen an Argonian child before.

The Argonian boy had accidentally flicked Alex with his reptilian tail as he hurtled by at speed. He had shouted back an apology, but kept on running after the other children.

By that time, Monika and Alex had fully lapped the outer circuit of the Talos Plaza District and were passing the tavern signed as The Foaming Flask for the second time.

Monika had pointed out the wooden gates ahead that led into the Elven Gardens District. Alex had noticed that her eyes had fully returned to their normal colouring. He had expressed his keen interest to visit the Elven Gardens.

They passed through those gates into the Elven Gardens District. At first glance, that second district seemed rather similar to the one they had just left. Alex had been wondering about where the 'Elven Gardens' were located. Monika had chuckled and informed him that there were just a few small garden areas behind some of the buildings, but nothing of special note.

Most of the district appeared to be residences at first. From the greater number of doors in the large stone structures, it seemed a slightly less wealthy area than the Talos Plaza District. Many of those doors appeared more mundane, with the exception of just a few.

Alex had spotted the small garden areas as they passed along the narrow street behind the houses nearest to the wall that bordered the central district.

The street that ran through the middle of the Elven Gardens District differed from the one of the previous district. Instead of a plaza with a central statue, it was open square at the central crossroads. It was not terribly crowded. Some people passed through the central square, but only a few had stopped to talk to someone that they knew. It did not seem so much like a gathering place as the Talos Plaza.

The only two places of commerce of that district were located upon street corners at that central crossroads.

On one corner was The King and Queen Tavern. It had seemed somewhat up-market, at least from the outside. That was mainly indicated by the name and the special quality of the signage.

Upon the adjacent corner was the Elven Gardens Boarding House. The signage also marked it as a tavern. However, the establishment seemed rather less special than its counterpart. Not that it appeared shabby. Only that it made no attempt to overstate itself.

A different group of children were playing a chasing game through the central square of the district as Alex and Monika passed through. A few of them seemed to be Nord or Breton from appearance. As indicated from their fairer complexion and the colour of their hair.

Although it had been a pleasant enough stroll, there wasn't really all that much to see in that district. The area was dominated by private residences and many of them looked much the same from the outside.

Monika had eventually guided their path to the wooden gates at the eastern end of the curved main street, the opposite end from where they had first entered the Elven Gardens District. They passed through into the Imperial Market District.

At first sight, the general layout of the streets appeared much the same as the previous district, as dictated by the shape of the area within the walls. The structures in immediate view also seemed vaguely similar to those behind them.

The most obvious difference in view was that the doors were marked as leading into shops rather than residences. Further ahead, the main street became markedly different.

Along the right hand side of the street, there were signs above each door indicating various merchant stores. The left hand side of the main street was bit different. The buildings were set back and formed a wide U shaped area. Along the walls of that area there were also many doors marking a further variety of merchants.

The open area in front of those stores hosted a number of merchants operating outdoor stalls. Supported by stone columns, there was a high roof set well above the vendor stalls. Because that cover was so high, it didn't seem to provide much effective shade.

Many of those outdoor vendors appeared to sell produce. A few sold prepared foods. Others were selling various odds and ends suited to the portability of an outdoor stall.

There was a large statue just off the street in front that space that hosted the market stalls. Monika had told Alex that it was one of the Septim emperors. She thought it was either Uriel Septim the second or the third. She wasn't sure of which one.

Evidently, there were far more people on the street than either of the previous two districts they had wandered though. The greater number of the people seemed to be Imperials, Bretons, or Nords. Or possibly some mix of those heritages. Each of the other races also seemed to be notably represented. There were several darker skinned Redguards from the land of Hammerfell. At least a few Orsimer in the crowds. Though fewer in number, there were a smattering of taller Altmer, their shorter Bosmer cousins, and darker skinned Dunmer from Morrowind. A pair of Khajiit operated a stall that offered jewellery and trinkets. There were just a couple of Argonians on the crowded street.

Another thing that Alex had noted in the Market District was the increased presence of the City Guard. There were a few that appeared to be standing at designated posts. A few seemed to wander as though on area patrol. Some others seemed to be either off duty or else on a break, since they were buying food from vendors.

None of those guards appeared particular alerted. Some seemed almost casual in their demeanour. It seemed that their mere presence served to maintain order in the marketplace.

Seeing the stalls that offered food had suddenly caused Alex to realise that he was a little hungry. It was well past midday by that time. He had mentioned it to Monika. She had been thinking the same thing. Accordingly, they made their way to one of the stalls and purchased light snacks to quell any building hunger.

They continued their tour of the Imperial Market District. Just past the first part of the market area was the central crossroads of the district. It formed an open square much like the one of the Elven Gardens District. However, there were far more people moving through the Market District area. Just as many stopping to speak with others, adding to the sense of the crowding of the space.

There were more merchant stores down the side streets. Across the other side of the central crossroads, the layout of the main street more or less mirrored the previous area. More stores along the right hand side of the street. The same with the U shaped structure on the left, with even more open stalls in the covered open space off the street. The only immediately obvious difference being some taverns and inns in amongst the merchants. There was another statue of one the old emperors at the front of that area.

After making their way along the main street of the Market District, Alex and Monika had taken the outer circuit around the outside border. There were fewer merchant stores along the outer streets. The outer city wall hosted more towers with guard's barracks. A few doors in the outer wall were marked as warehouses belonging to particular merchants.

During their walk, they had passed a large gated door in the northern wall that led to the Imperial Prison. Alex had seen the size of the structure of the prison from a distance as they had been approaching the city. From what he had since observed of the size of the city from within, he imagined that the prison must have been huge. He held no desire to actually go near the place.

The southern side of the Market District seemed rather like the same general layout of the Elven Gardens District. There was a waterway along the edge of the inner wall and a few small garden areas behind some of the buildings.

Although there was undoubtedly plenty to see in the Market District, they had no pressing need to visit any of the merchants. Alex had become anxious to see what lay beyond the gates to the next part of the city by the time that they had fully lapped the district and again come upon the entrance to that next city district .

They passed though the doors into the Arena District. It was immediately quite different from the last few districts they had walked through. It appeared as a large open space dominated by a huge circular structure at the centre.

The main path led to the central building and then circled around the structure. There were other paved pathways that followed the outer border of the open space. Several trees and shrubs punctuated the open grass of the area. There were also several large stones and boulders scattered throughout. Apparently serving only to decorate the space.

Over to the left side of the main pathway, there was a slightly raised stone platform bordered by rows of stone columns. It had a high roof set upon the top of the columns like the ones in the Market District. Several crates were stacked under that covered space. A man stood watch. Not a city guard, but he appeared as a guard of some sort.

A number of people wandered the open space and along the paths, but the area did not seem particularly crowded. A few of the city guards wandered the area.

Monika and Alex had wandered across the grass over to the right. There was a tall statue of a man holding shackles in one hand and pointing to the sky. As they circled about to the front of the statue, Alex had been looking up at it with curiosity.

"Who is that supposed to be?" Alex asked.

"Um… that's Morihaus." Monika answered. "One of the leaders of the army that first took the city from the last of the old Ayleid rulers. Back in the first era."

"Morihaus?" Alex mulled. "I think there is a place in Skyrim that is supposed to be named after him. Morthal?"

"That sounds right." Monika nodded.

"Was he… was he the one married to the ruler of the first empire? Alessia?"

"Yeah. That's right. There's a statue of her over the other side of the arena."

"And what about this arena? Is it still…?" Alex was curious. There were headed toward an entrance to the arena as they walked.

"Oh yeah. I hear it's been running the games on and off since the first era." Just then, a roar could be heard coming inside the arena, confirming Monika's statement.

"And… and they still fight each other in there?" Alex asked.

"Yeah."

"Are they Fighter's Guild?" Alex seemed a bit confused. He had not read anything about it in the Guild Charter book.

"Oh… some, but not usually. It's not a Fighter's Guild thing."

"Do they just fight for the money?"

They had just stopped outside the entrance to the arena as Alex asked the question.

"Well, yeah. I think so." Monika offered. "Some say that the fighters of the teams are supposed to be motivated by the honour of rising to the top of their ranks. In my opinion, it's more about the gold. The competitors are well paid and a lot of money changes hands with the organised gambling."

Alex had a look of disapproval upon his face as he looked back at Monika. He did not say anything.

"It's not my kind of thing." Monika shrugged. "Just like previous Emperors, Titus Mede keeps the arena running for the obvious reasons."

Alex again looked at Monika in question.

"Well… it keeps all that sort of thing under control." Monika suggested. "The fighters, the gambling. Entertainment for those that want that sort of thing."

"I suppose." Alex accepted.

They continued past the arena and over by the statue of Alessia. Over the other side of the main pathway, there was another low stone platform with stone columns. The same kind of high roof was set above. Under that covered space, a few bare-knuckle fighters were apparently engaged in training. Just a couple of people watched on.

Since most of the Arena District was open space, they had seen just about all there was to see. Except of course inside the arena itself, and that was not of particular interest to either of them. Alex and Monika proceeded to the door that led to the next district of the city.

They entered the Arboretum District of the Imperial City. Aside from the two guard towers at the outer corners of the district, the entire space was an open park. Just as the name of the district suggested.

Apart from the paved pathways, the rest of the space was cropped grass with shrubs and shady trees. There were also several decorative stones and boulders just as in the open space of the previous district. Throughout the open area there were statues of each of the Nine Divines.

Along the curvature of the northern wall was the same waterway that marked the inner edge of each district that they had passed through. Just as there was another gateway leading to The Green Emperor Way along that same wall.

A few people wandered the open space. Some just seemed to be passing through on their way elsewhere. There were a few sitting upon the grass here and there. Only a couple of the city guards casually wandered on patrol.

As Monika had mentioned to Alex, the gateway in the western wall led into the Temple District, which also led to the main access to the Waterfront District outside the main city walls.

Just past the statue of Dibella, another gateway in the southern wall of the Arboretum District provided access to the Arcane University. Alex spoke as they approached that gate.

"Are we heading into the Arcane University?"

"It's a bit late for that." Monika responded. "There's no public access after four on Loredas. It's nearly that time now."

"Okay." Alex agreed. He looked over to the west. The sun had not yet fallen below the high walls of the city, but it was well on its way.

They continued to wander the arboretum for a little longer.

For no obvious reason, Alex had suddenly remembered something that Monika had said the other evening. "You mentioned that you have a brother and a sister in Wayrest."

Monika glanced at Alex, wondering why he had brought it up.

Alex continued. "Are they older or younger?"

"I'm the eldest." Monika indicated.

"What do they do?" Alex asked.

"They both work for the family business. Northwind Traders of Wayrest."

"Oh, okay." Alex considered that, then probed a little further. "Do they have families of their own?

Monika hesitated for a beat, before responding. "Uh, yeah. Both married to local Bretons. They work for the business as well."

Alex nodded a moment and then pressed for more. "Do they have children?"

Monika had given Alex a subtle sideways glance. Looking ahead, she provided a response. "My sister… she has a son and a daughter. They must be just about grown up by now." She paused for just a moment. "And my brother has two little boys… actually… they must be about twelve and fourteen by now."

Alex paused a moment to absorb all of that. Monika was growing somewhat uncomfortable with direction of his questions. She decided to direct attention elsewhere.

"We should probably head back before it gets any later." Monika suggested.

"We are not going to the other districts?" Alex asked.

"Better that we make sure we can get a place for the night before it's too late. We can always see the other districts in the morning."

"Okay, then." Alex responded.

"Let's head back the way we came." Monika turned to lead Alex back toward the gateway that where they had entered the Arboretum District.

"Okay." Alex fell into step.

* * *

After leaving the open space of the arboretum, Monika and Alex passed directly through the Arena District and back into the Imperial Market District.

The shadows had grown quite long by the time that they had reached the marketplace. The sun was just beginning to disappear behind the tall walls of the city. It would be a while before it was actually dark, but the day was just about done. The crowds had thinned notably by that time. Some of the outdoor vendors had begun to pack up their stalls.

Monika had slowed and then come to a halt in the main street, pausing to look about.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked.

"I was just thinking about that." Monika answered.

Alex waited a moment.

"Well…" Monika pondered. "The Feed Bag is cheaper…" She indicated to her right. "But The Merchant's Inn is far better." She nodded, indicating the tavern up ahead on the left side of the street. "It also has much better rooms." She grinned.

"Sounds good." Alex agreed.

They proceeded to The Merchant's Inn and went inside. There were several patrons in the tavern, but it was not yet terribly crowded.

They went straight to the main bar and secured a room for the night. Monika was suitably pleased that there was a couples room available upstairs. They went immediately upstairs to stash their belongings and lock away their valuables. After that, they had returned downstairs to get a meal from the bar.

Back in the tavern, they ordered food and drink from the bar. As they waited, the room had been slowly filling with patrons. They managed to acquire a table by the back wall before it became too crowded and they sat down to eat.

About half way through their meal, a man with a loud voice interrupted them.

"Do I know you?" The man approached their table.

Alex had looked up with curiosity. Monika had also looked at the man, but her expression remained neutral.

"Didn't you used to be in the Fighter's Guild?" The man had directed his question at Monika. He seemed a little drunk.

Monika was gazing back at him. Her expression remained unchanged. "I am in the Fighter's Guild, but I don't think I know you."

Alex was studying the man, trying to gauge if he was looking for trouble. He looked to be an Imperial of about average size. He guessed that the man was in his forties. Flecks of grey in his neatly cropped beard and hair seemed an indication of his age. From his clothing, he appeared neither wealthy nor poor.

"No, no. I'm sure…" The man continued. "There was some trouble at Skingrad…"

Monika stared back with contempt. "I don't know you." She stated in an icy tone.

The intruder was not backing off. "Northlander… or Northwatch… or something…"

At that point, Alex stood up from his chair. "We are trying to have a meal."

The man looked back at Alex. His grey-blue eyes seemed a little glassy.

Alex continued. "I think you should leave us." He sounded firm. Looking past the stranger, Alex had noted a pair of off-duty Imperial Guards at the bar beginning to take interest.

"Are you a Skyrim Nord?" It sounded more like a challenge than a question.

Alex stood his ground. "I am Fighter's Guild." He avoided the appearance of direct provocation, but indicated a firm resolve.

Monika had made no move, but was obviously ready to act if necessary.

The guards at the bar had put down their drinks. They were taking further interest in the exchange.

"Ah… whatever you say." The man slurred. "I don't want any trouble." He took half a step backward.

"Nor do we." Alex affirmed.

The man finally waved his hand and backed away properly. He then turned and walked away from their table, mumbling something unintelligible.

Alex finally relaxed a little and returned to his seat.

The two guards seemed to remain at alert for a few moments longer before finally turning back to their drinks.

Alex had watched the man wander over to the far side of the tavern. He finally looked to Monika. She had already been looking directly at him for some time.

"What were you planning to do?" Monika asked. Her tone remained quite neutral.

Alex paused a moment before responding. "I do not know."

Monika continued to look back at Alex for a prolonged moment. "We don't want any trouble."

"No. You are right." Alex agreed. "No trouble."

Monika's expression softened a little. "Thanks anyway." She returned to her meal.

Alex had glanced about the room fleetingly before returning to his own meal.

The rest of their time in the tavern passed far more quietly. In due course, they had finished their meal and drinks.

They had not seen that man in the tavern again. Alex had thought that he must have left through the front door at some point.

Alex and Monika had attended the downstairs bathrooms of the establishment, before returning to their upstairs room for the evening.

* * *

Away from the noise of the tavern, Monika and Alex had sat upon chairs in their rented room and discussed tentative plans for the following days. Alex had wanted to see the rest of the Imperial City. Monika had agreed to spend another day at the city. She had suggested that they might return to the Wawnet Inn the next night, then continue onward back to Chorrol. She had expressed the hope that there might be fresh contracts available with the Guild. If not, then they could get in some more training until something came along. Alex seemed satisfied with the plans.

In due course, they undressed and went to bed. Alex had fallen asleep fairly quickly, but Monika remained restless.

During the earlier part of the night, Alex had stirred and woken to learn that Monika was not beside him. Through bleary eyes, he had seen that there was candle light coming from the small desk in the room. Monika was seated at the desk with her back to him.

"What is wrong?" Alex murmured.

"Nothing." Monika responded. "Go back to sleep."

After a moment, Alex spoke again. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just writing a letter." Monika offered. "To my mother."

Another pause. "Okay." Alex said.

"I won't be long. Go back to sleep."

"Okay." Alex mumbled lazily. Drowsiness already calling him back. He briefly smiled to himself. After only a moment, he had fallen asleep again.

~O~


	14. Chapter 14

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 14

Sundas the 23rd of Sun's Height 4E48

The morning arrived and Alex awoke to find that Monika had returned to bed at some point since he had last woken. She was still sleeping, so he tried not to wake her. However, she had woken about the same time anyway. Since there was no great rush, they were slow to rise.

In due course, they gathered their belongings and dressed for the day. As they would be remaining in the city for the day, they had again dressed only casually. Alex wore the same plain clothes as the day before. Monika also wore the same trousers as before, but with a different shirt. Everything else remained jammed into their bulging packs.

* * *

Monika and Alex left The Merchant's Inn and stepped out into the main street of the Market District. It was still fairly early and there were not so many people on the street. Being a Sundas, it was usually a little quieter during the early part of the morning. Some people tended to visit the Temple early on Sundas. Others might visit the Temple at other times. Many not at all. In any case, the marketplace would remain a just little quieter until mid-morning.

Monika had suggested that they go to the Temple District. Alex had easily agreed. He had developed enough of a mental image of the general city layout to realise that it was directly across the other side The Green Emperor Way from their current location. He said as much to Monika. However, she was uncomfortable with going near the tower after their experiences of the previous day. Instead, they went around a longer way, back through the Arena District and the Arboretum District.

The Arena District seemed almost empty at that earlier time of the day. The arena itself was not yet open. The arboretum area was also fairly quiet. Alex had asked about the Arcane University as they passed the gated doors that led from the arboretum. At that time, it was still too early for public access. They continued across the open arboretum area toward the Temple District.

They entered the Temple District through the eastern gates. At first glance it seemed vaguely similar to either the Elven Gardens District or the Talos Plaza District. Looking the down main street, a familiar style of buildings lined the paved road. They all appeared to be residential homes. The only obvious difference in view was at the centre of the district. Instead of the open square of some of the other districts, or even the central plaza of the Talos Plaza District, there was a large circular structure of stone with a domed roof. The main street split and circled around that central structure.

As they approached the building that dominated the middle of the district, Monika had informed Alex that it was called the Temple of the One. The previous temple had been destroyed during the battle with the forces from Oblivion. During Ocato's brief rule, the temple had been rebuilt around the stone dragon that was once Martin Septim. More recently, Emperor Mede had commissioned further refurbishment of the temple in honour of the man who had saved Cyrodiil, Tamriel, and indeed all of their world of Nirn from the invading hordes from the realm of Oblivion.

There were easily far more people upon the streets of the Temple District than they had seen during their walk to that location. Several people had entered or left through the open doors of the temple during the time that Alex and Monika had approached the building.

The temple seemed to be constructed from the same stone as many of the larger buildings of the city. That domed roof marked it as something different. A number of stained glass windows were set into its high walls.

Monika had suggested that they actually visit the temple. Alex seemed a little apprehensive, but agreed. He had never actually been inside a temple like that before. There was a small structure in Falkreath that served as a temple with a shrine to Arkay, but it was nothing at all like the Temple of the One.

Alex and Monika passed through the opened doors into the temple. It was quite crowded with people shuffling through this way and that. Monika had guided Alex over to one side near a support column by the wall.

Away from the front door, it was a little dark inside. The light that came through the stained glass windows above seemed mostly to serve to illuminate the central feature of the temple. Alex was a little astounded by the figure dominating the inside the temple. It was a full sized dragon composed of stone, standing upright in the centre of the space. The figure stood with wings spread out. It seemed frozen in the throes of battle. Frozen for all time.

Alex had heard Monika speak quietly in his ear. "Martin Septim." That was all she had said. It was enough.

Alex knew the story well enough. Martin Septim had arrived with his small force to defend against the daedric hordes from Oblivion. As the last known member of the Septim line, he had reignited the sacred Dragon Fires of the temple to close the gateways to Oblivion. He had then used the Amulet of Kings to transform himself into the avatar of Akatosh. In that form, he had defeated the invaders to the realm. In the process, the amulet was destroyed and Martin had been turned to stone in the form of the dragon. He had sacrificed himself to save everyone else.

Alex watched the procession of citizens. They moved slowly around the stone dragon. He could just see the flames of the Dragon Fires that burned below the form of the avatar. As each person came about to the front of the dragon, they kneeled and offered a silent prayer to their saviour.

Away from the centre of the temple, there were lesser shines to each of the other divines placed at equal spacing along the walls. People attended each of those other shrines in more sporadic fashion.

Monika had asked Alex whether he wanted to visit any of the shrines directly. Alex just shook his head in a distracted manner. It would have been quite difficult and time consuming with the great many people already doing so. He had really found it all a little overwhelming. After a short while, they made their way back outside.

Once outside the temple, they proceeded to casually walk the rest of that district. As it was with the other residential districts, a lesser path formed a full circuit that skirted the outer edge of the district. There were a few small green spaces at the back areas of the residential buildings. Not far from the entrance to the Talos Plaza District, they passed the only tavern of that district. The sign marked it as The All-Saints Inn. Aside from the guard barracks at the corner towers, there were just a few doors in the outer city wall that appeared to lead into residences. Just one door in the outer wall indicated something different. It was marked as the Nine Divines Boarding House. Alex found it difficult to imagine that that the place could have been very large inside.

After they had fully lapped the area of the Temple District, they headed for the gated doors in the southern wall that led to the Imperial Waterfront District.

* * *

Leaving the Temple District behind, they passed down some stairs inside a fully enclosed stone tunnel. With the spacing of the wall torches, the lighting remained a bit dim. The passage was fairly broad. However, the ceiling seemed a little low. Despite the apparent length of the tunnel, it felt oddly confined.

A pair of city guards stood by the base of the stairs just below the main doors. They both appeared relatively relaxed.

One guard was leaning against the wall. He had briefly moved from the wall as Monika and Alex had come through the doors, then returned to leaning after a brief moment.

The other guard had been looking away down the tunnel. He gave them a glance and a short nod as they approached, but otherwise seemed disinterested.

Looking further ahead, the tunnel proceeded downward quite steeply for a lengthy distance. In fact, the far end of the passage remained out of view, obscured by the low stone ceiling over the length of the descent.

There were two wooden doors in the tunnel wall just a short way from where they had entered. The one on the right indicated an entrance to the Nine Divines Boarding House. The one on the left had no clear signage, but the symbol on the door indicated that it had something to do with the Imperial Legion.

A little further down the passage, they had passed some beggars. Before they had reached those beggars, Monika had advised Alex to ignore them. She had suggested that some of them were most likely not as they appeared. Alex was not exactly sure what she had meant, but accepted her word without question.

They had travelled almost half way down the tunnel before they could actually see the far end. At about that point, they needed to step aside to the wall to make way for a group of men pushing a loaded cart up the incline. Alex was curious as to why the men were pushing the cart by hand. Monika had told him that horses were not permitted in the tunnel.

There were just a few more side doors near the bottom of the passage. As they approached the exit to the tunnel, a group of soldiers had come through the main doors. Their armour appeared different from either the Imperial City Guards or any of the Legion Soldiers that Alex had seen before. Alex had indicated a silent question with his expression. Monika had told him they were Imperial Navy.

Alex and Monika passed out of the poorly lit tunnel into the daylight outside.

* * *

The Imperial Waterfront District lay directly ahead. Almost immediately in front of them, a short flight of steps led up to a circular platform. A tall lighthouse rose up from that base. The path to the main docks circled around the base of the lighthouse tower, connecting to a stone bridge that crossed the small harbour area.

As they were passing the lighthouse, Alex had turned and looked back at the tunnel entrance. The stone structure at the entrance was quite prominent with a large tower rising high above. It looked just like one of the main support structures of the big bridge over near Weye. However, he was just a little surprised at how the rest of the tunnel structure was almost completely buried beneath the hillside below the main city walls.

Over to the west of the tunnel entrance, he had noticed a horse drawn wagon headed along a path in the direction of the main bridge to the city. Evidently, it had just departed the dock area not long before.

Returning his view ahead, Alex had counted just four ships at dock. Two of them were docked on the lighthouse side of the bridge. Two others berthed over the other side along the longer dock. Another two vessels were anchored in the harbour area, but not actually at a dock. Both had markings indicating they were ships of the Imperial Navy.

Monika and Alex continued across the low bridge to the main waterfront area. The curved stone dock extended along either side of the bridge. A paved road followed that curve between the dock and the tall structure that dominated that area.

The style of that structure reflected that of the walls of the Imperial City. It had obviously been there just as long as the city, from before the time of Alessia.

There were stairs directly ahead leading to an archway that passed through to the other side of the tall structure.

Monika had guided Alex over to the right, toward the closest door into the structure. The sign above the door marked it as The Imperial Trading Company Office.

"Are we going in there?" Alex spoke up.

"Yeah." Monika replied. "I just want to send that letter."

Alex just nodded his understanding.

They went through the doorway to the office inside. The place seemed rather messy. There were crates and boxes here and there. A few rows of shelves stacked with loose items. Behind what seemed to pass for a front desk, there was rugged looking Colovian man issuing instructions to a scruffy male Khajiit and a Dunmer man.

Monika and Alex waited for the exchange to pass. The Khajiit and Dark Elf finally stepped away and headed out the front door. Monika headed over to the man at the front desk.

"Alright then?" The man said in his rough north-western accent.

"Hello." Monika responded neutrally. "I'd like to send a letter to High Rock." She produced the letter and placed it upon the desk.

"No problem." The man said. "Just lemme check the address."

He read the outside of the folded letter. It said, Elwyn Northwind, Northwind Traders, Wayrest, High Rock.

"Looks good to me." He continued. "I can get this on the next ship to High Rock. It'll take a few weeks to get there."

"That should be fine." Monika agreed.

The man worked out the cost and sealed the letter with an Imperial stamp. Monika paid the price of shipping, concluding their business.

Monika and Alex departed the Imperial Trading Company office and stepped back out onto the waterfront docks.

Alex looked out along the docks. "I thought there was more here…"

"There is." Monika responded. "Come on." She smiled and took Alex by the arm.

They headed along the dock as it curved toward the north-west. Just ahead, several dock workers were busy loading crates and barrels onto the merchant vessel at the dock.

Just past the ship, there was another set of stairs leading to an archway in the main structure that towered over the docks. They took the stairs through the short passage to the other side.

About the southern side of the main structure, there were several wooden houses of rather run-down appearance. There were no paved streets. Just well worn dirt paths. Alex looked about as they walked the path through the houses, heading back toward the east. He counted only twelve or thirteen houses. None of them particularly large. There were two children playing by a tree. Other than that, the place seemed almost deserted.

Once they had passed that cluster of houses, the path led around the curve of the taller structure. It was there that the strip of land grew narrow with the open shores of Lake Rumare encroaching upon the island.

They passed the archway that marked the mid-point of the curved structure and continued on toward the far end. At the south-eastern end of the island, there were more wooden houses. About another ten or so. None of them appeared any better than the houses at the other end of the island. It certainly looked like the poorest part of the city.

An elderly Bosmer woman sat upon the small porch in front of one of the houses. The old Wood Elf woman had barely taken note of Monika and Alex as they walked by.

Nearing that far end of the island, Alex had been gazing out along the Niben toward the wider bay further south. He could see the tall bridge in the distance that crossed the waters. He had been considering the great volume of the water. Before that time, the greatest body of water that he ever seen was the shallow lake just north of his home at Pinewatch. He thought it was probably almost as large as Lake Rumare, but nowhere near as deep. His mind reeled as he looked upon the great body of water leading to the south. He understood that the Niben eventually led to the southern sea. However, he had never before seen any sea. He found it difficult to imagine.

They passed around the end of the island and back up onto the docks. Just near that end of the main structure of the waterfront, they passed the only tavern of that district. The sign identified it as the Waterfront Inn. The only other doors along that stretch were identified as warehouses of the Imperial Trading Company.

Having made a full circuit of the district, they headed back over the bridge. They had seen all that there was to see about the waterfront, such as it was.

Alex had expressed his interest in visiting the Arcane University. Monika had agreed that it should be accessible by the time that they arrived there.

With that destination in mind, they headed back past the lighthouse and into the tunnel that led back up to the Temple District.

* * *

Returning to the streets of the Temple District, Monika and Alex had not gone far when something drew their attention. A man who had been standing by the temple had suddenly started briskly toward them. He was dressed casually, but his stride and general demeanour had indicated otherwise. Monika's posture had tensed. Alex had noticed and tried to remain on alert.

The man came straight up to them. "Northwind and Pinewatch." He indicated that he knew who they were. He was not asking.

"I don't know you." Monika responded sharply. "Who are you?"

"That's not important." The man responded. "My superior requires another word with you at the tower."

Alex had glanced at Monika. She continued to stare into the face of the man. He seemed a typically ordinary looking Imperial. There was nothing particularly notable about his appearance. That was probably a perfect quality for an agent of the Penitus Oculatus.

"Why." Monika challenged.

"That's not my concern." The man responded. "My instructions require me to escort you to meet with him."

Monika had continued to stare at the agent. Alex had glanced about. He had noted that other people upon the street had altered course to avoid them. A city guard had stopped his patrol to observe the exchange from a distance.

The stranger broke the silence. "We're not going to have any trouble. Are we?"

Alex spoke up. "No trouble."

After another moment, Monika spoke. "No. No trouble."

With a forced grin, the man reframed his request. "Come along then. Follow me."

Alex and Monika followed the agent across the Temple District and into the central district. They crossed the open area of The Green Emperor Way to the White-Gold Tower. He led them around to the front doors into the tower and then upward along the path they had followed the previous day. He had conscripted a guard along the way to accompany them. Eventually they stopped at a door. It seemed to be the same room they had previously attended.

"If you will wait in here, you will be attended shortly." The agent advised. He then closed the door and departed.

Monika and Alex already knew what to expect. A lengthy wait. They lowered their gear to the floor and took seats at the table. They did not need to wonder whether the guard remained outside the door.

"What do you think they want?" Alex asked quietly.

"I don't know." Monika said flatly. "Nothing good, I should think."

"You do not think that there was something wrong with the documents we delivered?"

"No. Nothing we did, anyway."

"Do you think that we might be in some sort of trouble?"

"I think we were in trouble from the moment we accepted that contract."

They both fell silent as they waited.

* * *

Several lengthy moments passed. As the time passed, footsteps were heard passing outside the door at sporadic intervals. Eventually, the door had finally opened to reveal the same older inspector they had spoken with the previous day.

The inspector shuffled over to the far side of the desk to take a seat as he set his bag down upon the table. He glanced up briefly at Monika and Alex. "Thank you both for coming to see me."

Monika's expression indicated her displeasure. "I wasn't aware that we had any choice in the matter."

The inspector looked up at her again. "Hmph. Well, perhaps not." He proceeded to take his book from his bag. Along with his pen and inkwell. Placing each of those items upon the table in front of him.

Alex interrupted the prolonged delay. "Are we in some kind of trouble?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, no. Nothing like that." The inspector responded. His expression seemed to indicate pleasantry, but seemed false nonetheless. "In fact, I am quite pleased with your performance."

Alex felt relieved. He had glanced at Monika. She did not appear relieved at all.

"What do you want?" Monika asked.

The inspector stopped flicking though the pages of his book to look up. "Straight to the point then. Very good." He paused just a moment. "I would like to offer you another contract."

"For the Penitus Oculatus?" Monika prompted.

"Hmm? A Fighter's Guild contract, of course." The Inspector clarified. "Obviously, we would be acting as the client. The same level of discretion as before would be required."

Monika had hardly waited before responding. "And if we choose not to take this contract?"

The inspector gazed at Monika for a moment with his pale blue eyes. He shifted briefly to observe Alex. The inspector's own expression remained unreadable throughout. "Of course, that is your choice to make. However, I would hope that you hear me out before making any hasty decision."

A brief silence passed.

The inspector continued. He spoke slowly. "The contract involves the retrieval of a certain artefact. I already have two other guild members. I think that four would be the ideal number." He paused to glance at notes in his book. "My information indicates some expected resistance. A small group of bandits at the location."

"Why Fighter's Guild?" Monika questioned. "Why not send Imperial Legion?"

"Hmph. Well, there are other parties interested in acquiring the artefact. It is apparent to us that those other parties are not aware of its current location. Since said parties are opposed to the interests of the Empire, we are hoping to avoid drawing any attention."

Monika summarised. "So, your contract requires taking out a group of bandits… at some location, and retrieving an artefact. And it should all be done quietly."

"In short, yes." The inspector confirmed. "Of course, further details are dependent upon acceptance of the contract."

Monika said nothing. Of course, Alex had deferred to her silence.

The inspector broke the silence. "As the success of this mission is of great importance to the well-being of the Empire, the payment for this contract will be appropriately generous. The sum of four-thousand."

Monika had firstly raised her eyebrows in surprise. Then quickly narrowed her eyes in an expression of suspicion. "Four-thousand." She repeated.

"Yes, that's right." The inspector confirmed. "Four-thousand for each Guild member involved. Five-hundred to secure involvement. The rest upon completion of the task."

"Four thousand." Monika repeated it again.

Alex had his mouth open for the past several moments. Not because he intended to say anything, but out of surprise. He was actually just as surprised when he heard himself give voice to what he was thinking. "That is a lot of gold. It must be dangerous."

Both Monika and the inspector had shifted to look at Alex. He closed his mouth.

Monika passed comment. "I'm thinking that it might be too dangerous. Far more dangerous than it sounds."

The inspector looked from Monika to Alex. "I can assure you both that any danger involved in this task is far outweighed by the greater danger to the Empire." He paused to check the pages of his book. "I have not called upon either of you without due consideration."

Alex was surprised to hear that he was included in that statement, but said nothing.

Finding a particular page in his book, the inspector continued. "Monika Northwind. Born in the Imperial City. Raised in the far north, then in High Rock. Returned to Cyrodiil some eight years ago. I have examined your record over the past few years with the Fighter's Guild. It appears perfectly adequate, with the exception of a single incident. A Skingrad contract. Aside from that misstep, loyal service to the Fighter's Guild and the interests of the Empire."

After a short pause. "Alexander Pinewatch. Only recently arrived in Cyrodiil from Falkreath in Skyrim. Officially joining the Fighter's Guild after assisting with the removal of a group of bandits causing trouble in County Chorrol. Reported proficiency as a combat archer and acceptable skill observed during training in other combat methods. Although only fresh to the Guild, expected to work well in partnership with Northwind. You are the grandson of Erik Pinewatch. According to our records, he was known as a loyal citizen of the Empire during his younger days. Records indicate that he had assisted The Blades in service of the previous Emperor upon more than one occasion." He paused to look up at Alex. "Furthermore, just this morning I have received a received a message of character reference from the Crown Prince."

"From Treb?" Alex blurted.

"Hmm, yes." The inspector confirmed. "It seems that Prince Attrebus has insinuated himself in the business of our people at Chorrol. He had learned of your activities after your meeting at… a tavern… at the Fort Ash settlement. It seems that you had made some kind of impression."

Alex's expression indicated a measure of surprise. He also seemed somewhat pleased with himself.

Monika still appeared notably guarded. "I don't know." She said.

Alex spoke quietly. "Perhaps, we should consider…"

Monika glanced at Alex sharply, then returned her gaze toward the inspector. "Just how important is this?"

"Of the greatest importance." The inspector stated. "If this artefact falls into the hands of… the other party, they may well gain the power to bring down the Empire."

Monika considered in silence. Her brow furrowed in concern.

The inspector seemed to wait patiently. His expression remained unreadable.

Finally, Monika shifted her gaze toward Alex.

He had tried to read her expression before speaking. "If it is that important…"

Monika had nodded almost imperceptibly. She returned to her gaze to the inspector sitting across the table. After another pause, she spoke. "Okay. We'll accept the contract." She released a breath. "I only hope we live to regret it."

"Very good." The inspector responded. He produced the necessary paperwork and had both Monika and Alex sign in the appropriate places.

Monika wasted no time in pressing for further details. "Okay, then. Tell us everything we need to know. Starting with this object we're meant to retrieve."

The inspector composed himself. "Very well. The artefact is an Ayleid Crown."

"This crown is dangerous?" Monika queried.

"No, not on its own." The inspector answered. "It is said to possess an enchantment of a sort. However, it is believed that particular enchantment could only become fully active within the chambers of the specific Ayleid King that last owned that crown."

"Is that going to be a concern?" Monika asked.

"No, not in this case." The inspector said.

"Are you sure? Monika pressed.

Alex interjected. "You said, not in this case."

The inspector appeared a little annoyed. However, Monika's expression indicated that she wanted to hear a response to Alex's observation.

"Very well." The inspector conceded. "There was an incident involving another Ayleid crown several years ago. A wealthy Altmer living in the Imperial City had sought to use that particular crown to resurrect the rule of the Ayleid. It had proved to be his undoing. This one is different. It is also nowhere near to its place of origin."

Monika had made a mental note of that information, then pressed further. "Okay, so how is this particular crown so dangerous?"

The inspector paused, reluctant to elaborate.

Monika continued. "If we need to get this thing, we need to know just how dangerous it is. We need to know why others are after it and how they might try to use it. Especially so, if they happen to get in our way or beat us to it."

The inspector seemed concerned. "Very well, but, I will only tell you so much." He paused briefly. "As it is understood, before the fall of the Ayleids, at any given time there were three specific kings that held the power to dissolve the rule of the tower. The magic was imbued within the crowns. It is understood that a ritual requiring a scroll and those three specific crowns could be performed to bring about the dissolution."

The inspector paused another moment. "We have reason to believe they may already have the other two crowns."

"Understood." Monika responded. "So, the quicker we can secure this crown, the better. Where do we need to go?"

"This particular crown had passed through several hands, before coming into the possession of a mage at the Arcane University. Unfortunately, the specific danger related to the object was not understood at the time. The crown was later hidden at a location near Bravil. It has remained there since that time."

"Okay, so how do we find it?" Monika asked.

"That information is in the hands of one of the other Guild members you will be meeting with. He will share the full details once you are all together."

"Who are these other Guild members? Alex asked.

The inspector continued. "One is a former battlemage of the Synod. He now serves the Fighter's Guild. The other man is an Orsimer of the Bravil Fighter's Guild." He paused to reach into his bag. "Passage will be secured for you both on a merchant vessel headed to Bravil. You will meet with the others at the tavern by the north entrance to the city. The Silverhome of the Water." He held out his hand, revealing two rings. "Wear these rings. They possess an enchantment. They will vibrate briefly in the presence of the other rings."

Monika and Alex each took a ring. Each ring had vibrated momentarily as they placed it upon a finger.

The inspector continued further. "You should return to the Merchant's Inn for another evening and rise early. The ship to Bravil will depart tomorrow morning at seven. Once you arrive at Bravil, go directly to the tavern and meet with the others."

"Understood." Monika affirmed. Alex nodded his agreement.

"One more thing." The inspector again reached into his bag. "As per the contract, your retainer." He produced two bags of gold and passed them across the table.

Monika and Alex each accepted their payments with a nod.

The inspector packed away each of his items and rose from his seat. "The guard will escort you from the tower." After a pause. "You understand the importance of this task. Good luck. To all of us."

The inspector left the room and headed off up the hall to the left.

Alex and Monika gathered up their belongings and then followed the guard all the way down to the front entrance of the tower.

* * *

Monika and Alex made their way across The Green Emperor Way toward the gated door that led directly to the Market District. Monika had remained quiet as they walked. In fact, she had not spoken at all since leaving the room in the tower. She had just started walking in that direction and Alex had followed her lead. Alex had presumed that she had been lost in deep thought. He had also been thinking about the job they had just taken and remained just as quiet.

By the time that they had entered the streets of the Market District, the sun was high in the sky. In fact, it was probably about an hour past midday. The streets were markedly different from when they had left earlier that morning. The crowds were back on the streets in similar numbers to that of the previous afternoon. All the street vendors were again actively trading.

Alex has just noted that he was a little hungry as he caught the smell of food. Before he had a chance to say anything, Monika had already suggested that they get something to eat. It was the first thing she had said since they started walking.

They purchased something light from a street vendor and walked slowly through the Market District as they ate.

Alex had just about finished when he spoke up. "I suppose that we will not be going to the Arcane University now."

Monika grimaced. "No. I don't think so."

After a pause. "What should we do next?" Alex asked.

Monika stared off into the distance for a moment. "We should restock supplies."

Alex looked back at her. His expression indicated a silent question.

Monika responded. "Most of our supplies are fine, but I think we should restock preserved food items. Just in case. I'd also like to get some more potions. That shop over there should have what we need." She indicated an alchemy shop over behind the open vendors.

They made their way over the alchemist's and went inside. Monika had selected potions for both of them. They had acquired more healing potions. Alex was not all that surprised that they might need some more. However, he did not think that they needed quite so many. With what he already had, he thought he was now carrying at least eight.

Monika had also selected some other potions of various kinds. Alex was curious what they were for, but Monika had told him that she would explain later.

They departed the alchemy store after Alex had parted with far more gold than he had expected. Not that the cost was any kind of problem. Only that he was surprised by the total expense of the items.

Monika had guided Alex back down along the street to one of the general stores along the north-eastern side of the market. They restocked their supply of cheese, dried meats and some vegetables that kept reasonably well.

They then returned to the streets.

"Do we need anything else?" Alex inquired.

"No, that should do it." Monika settled.

"So, what now?"

Monika sighed. "I suppose we should we make sure that we can get a room at the Merchant's Inn. It's still early, but we might as well get settled. We should check over our equipment and prepare for tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me." Alex agreed.

They headed over to the Merchant's Inn and secured lodgings for the evening. They managed to acquire the same room as before. Leaving the main tavern behind, they went straight up to their room.

They laid out their leather armour for the next day and went through the rest of their equipment. Part of that involved rearranging the content of their packs and ensuring that certain items were readily available when needed.

Alex had been examining the potions that Monika had made him purchase. "So, what are these for?" He held up a vial with markings that he did not recognise.

Monika looked over at Alex. "That's an endurance potion. It fortifies stamina and relieves fatigue. Might need that if we get into anything that wears us down too much in a long fight."

"And this one?" Alex held up another vial.

"A strength potion. It can also give you a boost in a bad situation."

"Should we be using these kinds of things?" Alex seemed a little concerned.

Monika looked at Alex for a moment. "Well, ordinarily I wouldn't suggest it. It's easy to start relying on those types of potions way too much. I've seen that before. I'd say we don't use them unless things look like getting out of hand. And I'll be much happier if it doesn't come to that." After a pause. "Still, in this case, it might be better to have them and not need them."

Alex just nodded his agreement. He was looking at the third type of potion. He had just the one vial. "What is this one?"

Monika didn't even bother to look over. She knew what he was asking about. "That's Nighteye."

"Nighteye?" Alex repeated.

"It helps to see in the dark or in low lighting."

Alex had furrowed his brow. "Yes, I have heard of it. I had heard that it is supposed to be dangerous."

"Only if you use it all the time." Monika responded. "Some people end up with night blindness, or they can't handle bright sunlight any more. But you have to use it a lot to end up like that. We've only got one potion each. Just in case we need it on this mission."

"Okay, then." Alex accepted, though he was still not comfortable with the matter. He had no problem with healing potions, but those other potions made him uneasy.

After sorting their gear, they discussed various tactics that Monika felt that Alex should consider. Especially since she expected that they were likely to be tackling an unknown number of bandits. She also considered that it might take place in an enclosed space, rather than an open area. She described various considerations for that type of fighting.

Monika elaborated further with regard to the larger size of their party. "Look, we don't know these other fighters yet, but we can make a few reasonable assumptions. The Orc will probably be big with a preference for big weapons. You need to stay out of his way in close quarters. Let him do what he's good at. He'll probably hang back if we're using stealth tactics or firing ranged attacks. Once things switch to melee, he'll most likely rush to the front. You need to anticipate that."

Alex listened carefully to Monika's advice and tried to absorb it all.

Monika continued. "The battlemage could be harder to predict. I don't know what he'll be likely to use. He might rely upon enchanted weapons, or ranged magic, or area magic… or some combination. Hopefully, we'll find out before we find ourselves in battle. Your best bet is to avoid getting between him and any targets. Stay to his side, or behind him if you have to."

Alex continued to listen as Monika imparted further advice and described various likelihoods and possibilities. Since they weren't able to physically train, she wanted to train his mind as much as possible for the upcoming task.

Most of the afternoon had passed by as they discussed strategies in that upstairs room of the inn. Just before the rush of the evening crowds, they had gone downstairs to get a hot meal in the tavern. Afterward, they made use of the bathroom facilities downstairs and then returned to their upstairs room for an early night.

The distant noises of the tavern were well muffled by the stone of the building. Still, they had both remained somewhat restless as they tried to get to sleep. In part, it was because it was still rather early. Another cause was likely too much thinking about what lay ahead. A fitful sleep eventually came to both at some point.

~O~


	15. Chapter 15

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 15

Morndas the 24th of Sun's Height 4E48

As was planned, Alex and Monika rose early that morning. It was still well before the dawn as they dressed in their armour and attended to immediate matters.

They departed the Merchant's Inn and made their way across the city toward the Waterfront District. There were few people out on the streets at that early hour. Just a couple of merchants arriving early to attend to matters at their stores. It was far too early for any of the street vendors. There were some men with a large pushcart collecting refuse as they moved through the streets of the Market District. Their activities disturbed a couple of crows scavenging in the street.

As Alex and Monika made their way across the city, they had also noticed just a few guards here and there that were probably still on evening patrol. Aside from a couple of noisy drunks under a tree in the Temple District, and the occasional person hurrying to some early morning destination, the streets seemed fairly quiet.

* * *

Alex and Monika had arrived at the docks of the waterfront with time to spare. They found the merchant vessel that would take them to Bravil. It was called Zenithar's Promise.

As they boarded the vessel, they were met by the ship's bosun. He was a bulky Imperial man with a full dark beard. He had introduced himself only as Bosun. As previously advised, they found that their passage had already been paid for in their names.

The ship's bosun passed them over to one of his men. Bosun had called him Bernie. He was a gangly Breton lad with messy light brown hair and a long nose. That sailor guided Monika and Alex below and showed them to a passenger cabin just underneath the captain's cabin. He told them that they could leave their equipment there if they wanted. He also spoke to them of the general rules of passage on the ship. They could stay in the passenger cabins or go up on deck, as long as they kept out of the way. The captain's cabin was off limits. As was the rest of the ship.

Monika and Alex chose to sit and wait for a while in the small cabin. If only to rest for a bit after the brisk walk across the city. Before long, the motion of the ship indicated that it must have left the docks and had headed under way.

"How long will it take to get to Bravil?" Alex had asked.

"Most of the day." Monika told him.

"Oh." Alex was trying to imagine the distance. "So, how far away is it?"

"Well, going by road it's nearly twice the distance between Chorrol and the Imperial City. Going by water probably takes off about a quarter of that. It's also quite a bit faster."

"And much easier." Alex added.

"Yeah, and that." Monika agreed.

"So, all day." Alex mulled it over.

"Yeah, we should probably go up on deck." Monika suggested. "I don't feel like sitting down here all day."

"Okay, that sounds good."

They had no intention of leaving their equipment in the cabin. They kept everything with them as they went back up on deck.

* * *

The morning sun was rising in the east. The threat of another warm summer day was in the air. The ship had already cleared the main harbour of the waterfront and was being slowly manoeuvred around the western side of the island.

All the hands up on deck seemed fully busy with the sails and rigging as they sought to harness the light breeze. Atop the deck over the captain's cabin, the helmsman struggled with the wheel, trying to steer the vessel along a constantly shifting curved path.

Monika had pointed to a spot near the bow of the ship on the starboard side. It seemed like one of the few spaces out of the way of all the activity. They picked their way past the sailors, avoiding various moving obstacles.

The Zenithar's Promise had been making its way along the south-western part of Lake Rumare toward the Upper Niben. Along the western shores, the mouth of a small river opened into the lake. The ruins of a fort could be seen upon a low hill on the southern side of the river.

Monika had told Alex that the waterway was called the White Rose River. The old ruins were called Fort Homestead. Answering Alex's question, she told him that the fort was just another ruin. Like many such places, it remained unused except when bandits or other such troublemakers had decided to move in.

She directed his attention further along the river. He could just make out a low bridge that crossed the river and a number of thatched rooves amongst some trees. All of it was just disappearing from view as Alex asked what it was. Monika had told him it was the small township of Pell's Gate. She elaborated a little, telling him that it was only a small place. Several houses and an inn, with just a few small farms. Pell's Gate survived on passing trade because of its location. It was situated near the junction of The Red Ring Road and The Green Road, which led to Bravil. The town was also not all that far from the Imperial City by road.

A bit further along, there was another low bridge across an inlet in the south-western part of Lake Rumare. Monika had told Alex that it was just another stretch of The Red Ring Road. Further along, that road led to the big bridge that crossed the Niben.

That had drawn Alex's attention back toward that high bridge that seemed to loom larger and larger as the ship continued southward. It seemed to him that the full height of the bridge from the waters of the Niben must have been extraordinary.

As Alex had been watching the land slowly pass by, he had begun to think that the vessel was not travelling quite as fast as he had expected. However, looking down as the water rushing by the side of the ship, he had realised that it was all some kind of illusion created by the distance from the shore.

After a while, the ship had finally reached the point where Lake Rumare met the waters of the Upper Niben. The waterway became a broad river and the banks started to rise steeply on either side. The ship seemed to gain speed with the outgoing tide as it entered that stretch. At the same time, the waters became a bit choppy as a crosswind interacted with the tide. As a result, the vessel seemed to rise and fall a bit more as it headed toward the massive archways of high bridge ahead. All of that had begun make Alex feel a bit nervous, until he observed just how wide the archways of the bridge really were. The helmsman could not possibly have any trouble steering the vessel through such a broad passage.

As the ship passed beneath the bridge, Alex was truly astounded by the great height of it. He had thought that the distance from the water to the bridge above might have been about the same as the height of the White-Gold Tower. Although, that was only a guess.

As the vessel cleared the bridge, Alex could see the ruins of another fort. It was at the top of the steep riverbank near the western end of the bridge. Monika had told him that it was called Fort Alessia. She told him that it had been briefly occupied during the troubled times of the interregnum, before Titus Mede pulled all of Cyrodiil back together. In more recent times, it had become just another abandoned fort left to ruin.

The ship continued southward along the Niben throughout the morning. Both Alex and Monika had remained quiet for a while, just watching the countryside pass by. Monika seemed to enjoy the cool wind blowing through her hair. Alex had also noted that the stiff breeze seemed to make the warm summer sun feel far less harsh.

It must have been about midday when Alex had spotted yet another ruined fort on the western side of the Niben. Monika didn't actually know the name of that one. It was set back quite a distance from the river. She also mentioned that The Green Road to Bravil was much further inland from there. She had never seen that particular fort from the road.

Over the eastern side of the river, they could see some old Ayleid ruins partially submerged in the water. Monika didn't know the name of that place either. She commented that she could probably find it on her maps, but she hadn't bothered to pull them out of her pack.

It was just then that both their enchanted rings began to vibrate. They each looked at one another in alarm.

"The ring…" Alex had started.

"Quiet." Monika cut him off as she looked about.

They had both turned fully to see the man coming toward them. He was wearing full mithril armour including a helmet. Despite a few obvious marks and scars on the armour, it looked to be an expensive ensemble. He wore a sword upon his left hip and a long dagger upon the right. A strap across his chest indicated a bag slung behind his back.

As he drew close, he spoke. "Northwind and Pinewatch." His voice sounded vaguely familiar. He removed his helmet, revealing his face. An Imperial man in his forties with a neatly cropped beard and hair.

"You." Monika said. It was the drunk from the tavern of the Merchant's Inn.

Alex had edged forward. Monika had blocked his advance with her elbow.

The man had been grinning broadly. His expression seemed to provoke a measure of animosity. Rather the opposite of what he had intended. The smile faded. He had instead adopted a more earnest appearance. "Permit me to apologise for my earlier behaviour. The other evening. I was… I was trolling the watering holes of the city, hoping to learn which others might be invited on our… our little journey." He paused. "I thought they might have invited Frederick the Loud, or perhaps Alaron Suvaris… though I couldn't find him in the city."

The tension in both Monika's and Alex's expressions had eased only marginally.

"Oh. I am sorry." The Imperial man said. "Please, allow me to properly introduce myself. Fellow Guild members, I am called Forester. Malcolm Forester."

Neither Monika nor Alex responded.

Forester proceeded to slip off the gauntlet from his right hand, exposing the enchanted ring upon his finger. He was merely confirming the obvious.

After another moment, Monika finally responded. "We were told that the meeting would be in Bravil." Her tone remained flat.

"Well, it will be. When we get there." Forester suggested with a shrug.

Monika had looked past Forester, checking that there was still no one else within earshot. "I suppose you're the one with all the details of this job?"

"Not now." Forester responded firmly. "Once we meet up with Durgash."

"Durgash?" Alex interjected.

"The Orc. Durgash gro-Durgash." Forester clarified.

Alex frowned as he considered the name.

"Yeah, I know." Forester commented. "Durgash, son of Durgash. Don't say anything about it. You know what Orcs can be like."

"You know him?" Monika asked.

"I've met him a few times, but I don't really know him that well." Forester offered. "I've never worked with him before."

Monika was frowning. "What do you know about him?"

"Well, I hear he's a good man." Forester said. "I've no reason to doubt that. Just like a lot of big Orcs, I've heard he can be a noisy fighter, but we might just need that. Durgash brings a bit a extra muscle to our party."

Monika considered Forester's words. It seemed that he was merely confirming her expectations. "Okay. What do you bring?"

Forester raised his eyebrows. It seemed an affected response to her directness. At the same time, it only barely covered a more smug expression. "Well, I know a little magic."

Alex spoke again. "We were told you were a battlemage."

"Former battlemage." Forester corrected. "I'm Fighter's Guild now."

Monika challenged him further. "But you used to be Synod."

"That was a few years back." Forester conceded. "I didn't much like… the feel of it." After a longer pause, he added, "I think the Fighter's Guild is more to my liking."

Monika considered for a moment. A different question came to mind. "Did you select us for this?"

"Oh no. That was the inspector." Forester answered. "However, I do agree. I think you're exactly the right type for the job."

"What type is that?"

"Well, from what I hear, you tend to favour a more stealthy approach. I've heard you like to get things done quietly. For the most part. Usually."

Monika glared back at him darkly. Challenging him to mention Skingrad again.

Forester's expression indicated that he understood the warning. "They say you're a skilled archer. I hear you tend to lead with ranged attacks and you prefer mace and shield up close." He paused just briefly. "I haven't heard much about Pinewatch. Only what the inspector told me. That he's following in your footsteps and considered to be trustworthy." He paused again. "The inspector seemed to know all about me. Maybe a bit too much. So, I find it reasonable to expect he knew exactly what he was doing when he chose the both of you."

Monika considered Forester's words, making some effort to separate fact from any obvious attempt to placate with flattery.

Alex remained somewhat suspicious and guarded, but kept that to himself.

Monika had also noted that Forester had not actually told her what she had originally asked about. She pressed further. "Okay, you're saying that you have a general idea of our skills and tactics, but you still haven't told us… What do you bring to this?"

Forester smirked. "Well, I know quite a few useful spells. The kind that will help get us into where we're going. A few more that should help with a stealthy approach. At range, I have a few destruction spells. Up close, I go with blades." He patted his sword and dagger with each hand. "Is that what you need to know?" He offered a friendly grin. However, neither Alex nor Monika responded in kind.

"It's enough. For now." Monika accepted.

Alex had listened carefully to everything. He remained silent.

"Good. Very good." Forester said. He looked southward across the waters for a moment. "Still a few hours to Bravil. I just came up to stretch my legs and let you know I'm here." He paused briefly. "We'll talk more in Bravil. When we meet up with Durgash. Right now, I'm headed back down below to rest up. Out of the sun."

Forester casually turned and headed back toward the rear of the vessel.

Monika and Alex watched him go and then returned to leaning over the side of the ship. The vessel was just coming up on the last part of the Upper Niben. Just ahead, the waterway opened up considerably. The much broader section was known as Niben Bay. It was not actually a bay in the traditional sense. In as much as it did not directly connect to the sea. It was more a wide basin in the river. Almost the size of a lake. Further south, the river narrowed again for quite a distance before eventually reaching the sea.

After a few moments, Alex spoke up. "I do not like him."

"I don't like him much either." Monika agreed. "I expect he likes himself more than enough not to care."

Alex suppressed a smirk as he looked out across the Niben. "Should we trust him?"

"Not a lot of choice in the matter." Monika commented. "We can probably trust that he wants to get the job done. We can probably trust that he'll be looking out for himself. Beyond that… I don't know. Either way, we're stuck with him."

Still gazing across the waters, Alex nodded in thought. After a moment, he turned sharply to Monika with an expression of surprise. "Why did our rings not alert us to his presence until just then?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about that too." Monika responded. "I'm guessing that he knows some sort of counter spell… or something like that."

"Hmm." Alex considered. "I suppose that means that he probably does know some magic that might be useful when we need to sneak up on the bandits."

"Probably." Monika resolved. "I want you to remember what I told you last night. If he starts throwing attack spells about, stay out his way."

Alex nodded his agreement and returned to looking out across the bay.

After a brief silence, Monika had casually pointed out the mouth of a river in the distance. It was over on the eastern side of the Niben Bay. She told Alex that there were four lesser rivers that flowed into the bay, aside from the Niben itself. The river she had pointed out was called the Corbolo River. There was another one just a bit further along, the Silverfish River. Further south was the Panther River. The fourth one was on the western side, the Larsius River. Bravil was situated at the mouth of that one.

Alex maintained the appearance of listening to Monika. However, he had been quietly stewing over his annoyance and dislike of Forester. All he remembered hearing was something about four rivers and Bravil.

Alex was roused from his silent musings by Monika's hand upon his shoulder. He turned his head to look at her.

"Have you been listening to me?" Monika had said.

Alex blinked. "Yes. You were telling me about the rivers."

Monika narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. "I said, if you look over there… you can just see the walls of Bravil past those hills."

Alex turned to look in the direction she had indicated. "Oh, Yes." He spoke with a mix of interest and surprise. He could just make out the top of the stone walls and towers. It still seemed quite a way off. He could not tell from that distance, but he thought it looked a bit like Chorrol had appeared from far off.

Alex had glanced back again to notice that Monika had been looking directly at him, rather than the distant view. "I am fine." He protested. "I was just thinking about things."

Monika's expression indicated that she remained unconvinced.

"Just putting things in order... in my mind." He offered. "Nothing to worry about."

Monika affected a smile and patted his arm. "We'll go over things tonight. After we meet up with this other fighter and get the full story."

Alex returned her smile. "Okay. Sounds good." He slowly broke eye contact and turned back toward the distant towers.

* * *

Monika and Alex had passed the rest of the journey in relative silence. Mostly just watching their destination grow larger along that last stretch of the voyage. It was during the latter part of the afternoon that the vessel finally rounded the last hillside that had been obscuring their clear view of the walls of Bravil.

There were some stone ruins atop that hillside. Monika had mentioned to Alex that the ruins of another Oblivion gateway were behind the broken stone walls. It was the location of the main threat to that city during the time of the Oblivion invasion.

It was just then that they gained a clear view of the city walls. Alex had thought that those walls certainly seemed just as tall as those of Chorrol.

"Just how large is Bravil?" Alex gave voice to his thoughts. "It seems as large as Chorrol. At least from the outside."

"Oh, it's probably a bit smaller than Chorrol." Monika considered. "Nowhere near as many people."

Alex turned back toward Monika. His eyes questioning.

"You'll see soon enough." Monika suggested.

"Okay." Alex turned away to look back at the city again.

Behind Alex and Monika, the activity of the ship's crew had become frenzied across the deck. Sails were pulled up and anchors prepared. The vessel slowed considerably as it rounded the last turn toward the mouth of the Larsius River.

At that point, it could be seen that the river was a number of channels with steep sided banks. One channel ran along the northern side of the city. Another appeared to go through the city, but was blocked by a large gate. Monika had told Alex that another channel ran about the other side of the city. She did not need to tell him that those channels ahead were far too narrow for the ship to enter.

The vessel had slowly moved into the mouth of the river, then gradually drew to a halt as anchors were dropped and took hold.

At about that time, Forester had returned to the open deck and had made his way toward Monika and Alex. They had noted his approach.

"Time for us to go." Forester declared.

At the same time, Bosun had waved toward them to gain their attention. He pointed at one of the deck hands. Monika had waved back, indicating that she understood. Forester had turned to observe the bosun and also understood. Accordingly, they all made their way over toward the sailor.

That sailor led them toward the rear of the vessel where a small rowboat was being lowered down to the water. He introduced himself as Benson, and told them that he would be taking them ashore. He sailor had mentioned that passengers come off first, so that the cargo can be dealt with without interruption. As it happened, they seemed to be the only ones.

The small rowboat was manoeuvred past the ship and along the channel that led to the gate below the city walls. As the boat approached the gate, a man in the tower far above could be heard shouting something unintelligible. The gates began to swing open. Apparently operated by some sort of mechanism inside the stone walls.

Alex had wrinkled his nose at the smell as the boated moved along the channel into the city. The vaguely salty aroma of the bay had been replaced by an altogether different kind of smell.

"Yeah, I know." Monika said quietly. "You don't want to go swimming in that."

Forester had chuckled to himself.

Alex said nothing.

The walls of the channel were steep. The actual city above had remained out of view from that low vantage. A wooden bridge crossed overhead joining one part of the city to another. So far, there was no obvious way up out of the canal in sight.

Once the boat had made its way around a bend in the channel, a low wooden dock came into view. Behind the dock, there were wooden stairs leading up to the city. A little further past the dock, there was another wooden bridge that crossed above the canal.

The boat pulled up against the dock and the three of them climb out.

Forester immediately took the lead. "We should head straight up." He set off up the stairs without waiting to see if Monika and Alex were behind him.

Monika had glanced back at Alex. He was still standing on the dock with a sullen expression. She spoke in a quietly sympathetic tone. "Come on. We better follow him."

Alex nodded and fell into step. They headed up the wooden stairs following a short distance behind Forester.

Alex was a bit surprised by what he saw as they reached the top of the stairs. There were no paved streets as in the Imperial City or Chorrol. There were flat stones set into the path at places, but just as much of it was bare dirt. The general run down appearance of the buildings had immediately struck him. Most seemed like the wooden structures of the outside of the Imperial Waterfront District, only taller. Several buildings appeared to have two or three levels stacked in a rather rickety construction. The only structure that stood out as different was the tall temple constructed of stone. At first glance, it looked rather similar to the one in Chorrol.

Several people could be seen on the streets, but nowhere near as many as the streets of Chorrol. There were a couple of street vendors situated between the top of stairs and the wooden bridge off to the left. The vendors had appeared somewhat interested to observe people arriving at the dock.

Alex didn't have much time to take in what he could see. Monika had already turned and signalled to him to keep up. He had wrinkled his nose and quickened his pace. Even well above the canal, the smell from the water was still evident.

They continued along the street to the right. Forester walked well ahead with Monika and Alex still trailing a short distance behind. They passed some houses and shops. Just ahead, the main street turned toward the left. In that direction, the street led toward the northern gates of the city.

At that bend in the main street, a path branched off to the right. A wooden bridge crossed the canal. On the other side were the stone walls of the castle of the Count of Bravil.

A short distance after the northward turn in the street, Forester had come to a halt and waited for Monika and Alex.

"I'm going to see if I can find Durgash." Forester indicated the Fighter's Guild building behind him. "You might as well head straight up to the inn."

Monika paused only briefly. Any suggestion out of Forester's mouth seemed to sound more like an order. "Right then. We'll wait up at the inn."

Alex remained quiet.

Forester headed into the Fighter's Guild. Monika and Alex continued onward up the street toward the inn.

The Silverhome on the Water was one of the buildings closest to the north gates. It was located on the eastern side of the street next to a general goods store. From the outside, it appeared no better than any of the other structures about it. It looked to have three levels above the ground. Just like many of the nearby buildings of that height, it looked like the top level was more of an afterthought.

Monika and Alex went into the inn. Inside, it was clean and tidy enough for what it was. Alex had thought that it reminded him a little of the Wawnet Inn. Only with better lighting.

They headed along the entrance hallway, past some stairs leading to the upper levels, before reaching the tavern area. Alex was again remind of other taverns he had seen. He could see that the eastern wall had been previously knocked out to extend the interior space a short distance.

They stopped just short of the bar. There was no one else in the tavern except the middle-aged Imperial woman behind the bar.

It was quiet enough in the tavern that Monika had heard a rumbling noise come from Alex's belly. She had looked at him with raised eyebrows and a smirk. "Yeah. I'm hungry too, but I think we should wait until after we talk with the others."

Alex just nodded his agreement with a slight look of disappointment.

"Maybe just one drink while we wait." Monika suggested.

"Okay." Alex agreed.

They purchased drinks from the bartender and headed over to a table by the far wall.

* * *

Alex and Monika had only been waiting for a short while when they noted the familiar vibration of their enchanted rings. A moment later, Forester had emerged from the hallway into the tavern area. A large armoured Orsimer appeared immediately behind him. They both looked over to where Alex and Monika were seated. They turned back toward the bar to acquire drinks before heading over the table.

Forester and the Orc arrived at the table and took their seats. Forester had immediately taken charge of formal introductions. "Northwind and Pinewatch." He indicated each of them in turn, pointing with his mug of ale. "Durgash gro-Durgash."

Each of them nodded to one another in silent greeting.

Durgash seemed a typical Orc in his general appearance. He would have stood at least a head taller than Alex. His broad shoulders made him appear even larger. His head was completely bald except for the tuft of dark hair on his chin. His age was not easy to gauge. Not old, but not so young either. His eyes were dark brown. The colour of his skin was a paler shade of green than the Orsimer that sometimes passed through Falkreath. Certainly a lighter colour than Karl gro-Baroth. Except for Karl, Alex had thought that most of the Orcs of Cyrodiil had seemed a lighter shade.

Forester had spoken up again. "Well, now. Now we all know each other, we should go over things." He glanced over toward the bar. "It's quiet enough in here to talk, but we should keep it that way." He leaned forward over the table.

Speaking more quietly, Forester continued. "From what I've been told, each of you know something of what we're going after. I probably know just a little bit more."

Forester waited just a moment to be certain that all were listening carefully. "In short, we will be taking down a group of bandits and retrieving an important Ayleid artefact hidden in their lair." He paused briefly. "Now, I'm told that the gang should have no idea about the artefact. It was hidden there years ago. As far as they'll see things, we're going to look like a group of fighters hired to take them down. So, there's no question over how we need to go about this. We're going to have to go in and take them all out as quickly and effectively as possible. Then we'll have time to go and find what we're actually after."

"You know where to find it?" Monika questioned.

"Yes. I have the details." Forester confirmed. "I'll share those details with all of you just before we get there. Just so that nothing can happen between now and then."

Monika appeared to accept that with some reservation. Alex tried to hide his own opinion. Durgash didn't seem at all concerned.

Monika prompted Forester for more information. "So, where is this bandit gang holed up? And how many are we likely to come up against?"

Forester leaned forward again and responded. "Well, there's an old fortified tower just to the south of Bravil."

"The old wizards tower?" Durgash interrupted.

"Yes, that one." Forester confirmed.

"I scouted that tower just a few days back." Durgash declared. "Just from the outside, that is. I knew there was sposed to be a gang set up in there, but you can't see nothing from outside."

"That's what I've heard too." Forester agreed. "The rumour is that they only come out at night and keep it locked up during the day."

"Yeah, that's what I heard." Durgash agreed. "I ain't never seen any of them on the road. Not in daylight, anyway. And I've been looking. I heard someone say they're running some sort of smuggling operation. Probably bringing in skooma for addicts or something like that."

"It doesn't matter what they're up to." Monika countered. "They're in our way and we'll have to take them down."

"Quite." Forester agreed.

"How many?" Alex interjected, returning to Monika's previous question.

"I don't have a number." Forester conceded. "Only second-hand guesses. Probably more than ten. Hopefully less than twenty." He turned to Durgash.

"I dunno either." Durgash offered. "I've only heard rumours."

Monika summarised. "So, there's no way of knowing until we're in there. We should prepare for the worst and assume nothing."

"Can't argue with that." Durgash agreed, looking about at each of the others.

Forester spoke again. "I propose that we go in during daylight. That way, they should all be inside the tower. No surprises outside."

"He-heh." Durgash chuckled. "Under the cover of daylight."

Forester glared at him.

"Just saying." Durgash responded. After a pause, his smile faded. "You don't think they might be vampires?"

A short silence passed.

"I don't know." Forester answered. "I wouldn't rule it out, but it's probably more likely that they're just smugglers. Like you heard. The tower is close to the water. I would expect there's a good view of the bay from up the top."

"I hope it's not vampires." Durgash said. "I hate vampires."

Monika offered her opinion. "Vampires go down just like others. They're just a bit tougher to kill. And there's no good reason to expect vampires at this point."

"That's right." Forester agreed. "Anyway, we need to just worry about getting to the tower without being spotted. Then we worry about taking them down, once we're in there."

"We should be able to get to it without being seen." Durgash offered. "I've done it before. Well… I'm pretty sure I wasn't seen."

"So, there's good cover?" Monika asked.

"Yeah. Plenty." Durgash answered. "We just need to get off the road and come around the back. Plenty of trees and shrubs coming up the back of the hill." He paused with a thought. "Pity we can't use the old tunnels. Woulda been great if we could've come up from underneath them."

"Tunnels?" Alex spoke up.

Forester responded. "There used to be a tunnel that led from Castle Bravil out to the underground parts of the tower."

Durgash interrupted. "Yeah. About fifty years back, there used to be a Dunmer wizard that worked for the old count. He had a hidden tunnel that went all that way. It's all caved in and flooded now, so they say. I also heard that they had it sealed up at the other end."

"Forget about that." Forester settled. "We need to go in through the door at the base of the tower. It'll probably be locked. Maybe barred. That won't be a problem. I can get us in."

"You're sure?" Monika challenged.

"I know the right spells." Forester assured. "It won't be a problem. I might even be able to tell where some of them are from the outside."

"That could be useful." Monika commented. "Might help us take out a few before they know what's going on."

"Exactly." Forester affirmed. "I'm hoping that we can sneak in and take out the first few quietly." He waved his mug at Monika and Alex. "You two could probably take out a few with arrows. If you're good, you might even drop the first few without setting off the others."

Monika grimaced. "We'll see."

Forester continued. "Either way, we can probably get a few out of the way with ranged attacks, before it comes to close quarters."

"I can sneak up awright, when I need to." Durgash suggested. "But I ain't much good with a bow… I mean, I can use one… but I'm much better up close with blades and maces."

"That's all right." Forester said. "We should each play to our own strengths. These two should lead with stealth attacks. All three of us when it shifts to open ranged fighting. Once it turns to melee, you'll be taking point, with the rest of us backing you up."

Durgash grinned broadly. His lower canines protruded even more than usual. "That sounds good to me."

Forester spoke again. "Once we clear out the tower, we go down below."

Alex interrupted. "I thought the tunnels were sealed off."

Forester responded. "They are. Further along. But the underground chambers of the old fort should still be accessible. That's where we need to go."

Monika spoke. "And take down anyone down there."

"That's right." Forester confirmed.

Durgash weighed in. "So, is that where this thing is?"

"Yes." Forester affirmed. "That's where the artefact is hidden."

Durgash glanced about to each of the others. "So, what about this old artefact? What is it exactly?"

Forester waved everyone in closer and he spoke in quieter tones. "It's one of the old Ayleid crowns." He then proceeded to tell them what he knew. Most of it was exactly what the inspector had already told Monika and Alex.

By the time that Forester had finished going over what he knew, a couple of people were just starting to come into the tavern. There were two men arriving at the bar and the front door had just opened and closed, indicating more on the way.

"Well, that should be just about everything." Forester concluded. "I say we should get a good night's sleep and then set off early in the morning. Say… about seven?"

Forester had glanced around the table. Each of the others had indicated their agreement.

"It's settled then." Forester confirmed. "We can gather at the north gates tomorrow morning at seven, then we head off."

Durgash spoke. "Right, then. I'm gonna go get something to eat. I'm just about starving." The smells coming from the kitchen area near the bar had been wafting in their direction for some time.

"Me too." Alex agreed.

"Yeah." Monika had said at almost at the same time.

They each got up from their seats. Nobody could beat Durgash to the bar. Monika had firstly secured lodgings for the evening. She also acquired more drinks for Alex and herself and then rushed back to claim the table before anyone else took it. She left Alex to get meals for the both of them. Forester had looked like being a while at the bar as he pontificated over exactly what he wanted from what was available.

Durgash had soon returned to the table with two plates piled with food. He wasted no time digging into his huge meal.

Alex had also returned just a short while afterward with meals for himself and Monika. They didn't wait for Forester. He was still at the bar.

Durgash was nearly half way through his food, when he paused a moment. "You're a Nord, ain'tcha?" He spoke with his mouth half-full, looking directly at Alex.

Alex chose to wait to swallow what he was eating before answering. "Yes. I am from Falkreath."

"Where's that?" Durgash asked.

"In the south of Skyrim."

"That's gotta be a long way from here." Durgash pondered.

"Yes. A long way." Alex confirmed. "I have only been in Cyrodiil for a short time."

"Hmm. I was born in Orcrest. In Elsweyr. I thought that was a fair way from here, but Skyrim… that's gotta be a lot further." Durgash turned back to his food.

"How far is Orcrest?" Alex asked.

Durgash looked up with a mouthful. "Orcrest?" He repeated, still chewing. "Just about right in the middle of Elsweyr, west of here. It's right in the middle of the desert. Built around a bunch of watering holes."

Durgash paused a moment to shovel more food into his mouth.

Alex nodded as he tried to imagine the location. Not that he'd ever seen a desert.

"Left there when I was just a boy." Durgash said. "My parents headed this way with me and my brother when it looked like the cats were gonna kick us all out of their lands."

Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Didn't happen." Durgash said, as he chewed. "The Khajiit never got that organised, but we left anyway."

Alex swallowed another mouthful, then asked another question. "Where are your family now?"

"My father died in battle. Just what he wanted. My mother lives down in Leyawiin."

"What about your brother?" Alex asked.

"Ah, dunno." Durgash responded. He seemed rather dismissive. "Heard he was in Anvil at one stage. Don't see him."

Just then, Forester had finally returned with his meal and took his seat.

"What about you?" Durgash was looking at Monika. "You half-elf or something?"

Monika paused to look back at him, trying to suppress some annoyance. "My mother is an Altmer, my father a Nord."

Durgash grunted acceptance. "Makes sense." After a pause. "You've got a funny accent, though."

Monika again collected herself. She recognised that Durgash was actually being quite pleasant for an Orc. He was not intending to provoke, just being curious. "I was born in Cyrodiil, but mostly raised up in High Rock. At Wayrest."

Durgash again grunted an acceptance. He didn't mention anything about the troubles of the Orsimer living in High Rock or Hammerfell. He either didn't know much about it, or else just didn't care all that much.

Durgash had soon finished his feast and he leaned back in his chair with his mug of ale. "Now, that feels much better." He patted his belly with a toothy grin on his face.

Alex had finished his own meal. Monika was nearly finished. Neither of them had eaten anywhere near as much as Durgash. Forester was still working his way through his own.

Soon, Monika and Alex were also sitting back sipping at their drinks. Durgash had glanced at Forester. He seemed irritated at how slowly Forester was eating.

"I'm gonna finish this drink and head back to the Guildhall." Durgash announced. "I need to get my beauty sleep."

Alex chewed on his lip and struggled to suppress the urge to smirk.

"Yeah." Monika agreed. "We have a room upstairs. We might head up soon." She glanced at Alex. He nodded his agreement.

Durgash turned to Forester again. "What are you doing… when you finish with that?"

Forester didn't look up immediately. After finishing a mouthful, he responded. "I have a room on the second floor."

After another moment, Durgash finished his ale. "Right, then." He stood up. "I'll see you lot in the morning." He turned from the table and headed off to leave the tavern behind.

Monika and Alex also made a move to get up.

Monika spoke. "We're heading off too."

Forester looked up. "Very well."

"We'll meet you at the gates." Monika settled. "At seven."

"Very well." Forester agreed. "At seven."

* * *

Monika and Alex had moved away from the table in the tavern and headed to the stairs that led to the upper floors of the inn. They stopped at the bathroom on the second floor, then climbed the rickety wooden stairs all the way to the top. Their room was up on the third floor. They found their room and went inside.

The room was clean and tidy, but hardly luxurious. Aside from the modest sized double bed, there was just a cupboard and small stands on either side of the bed. There was no lock-up chest or similar. They would just need to rely upon the lock on the door.

At least it was fairly quiet in there. Up on the third floor, any noise coming from the tavern seemed fairly distant.

They piled their equipment in the corners on either side of the bed.

"You're fine with the plan for tomorrow?" Monika asked.

Alex looked across the bed to face Monika. "Yes. I think so."

"We'll need to stay sharp when we get into that tower." Monika sat upon the bed and pulled off her boots.

"I know that." Alex responded as he removed his own boots.

"We'll also need to keep an eye on how the rest of the team react and make sure we respond quickly to changes in the heat of things."

"I understand." Alex assured.

Monika was peeling of her leathers. "I know you do. We'd best get some rest, so we're fresh for tomorrow."

Alex didn't say anything as he removed his own leather armour. His expression seemed distant.

Monika stopped as she tugged at her underclothes. "What is it?"

Alex paused a moment before responding. "I still do not like that Forester."

"Yeah. He's a bit of a pompous bastard. But he sounds competent enough. It'll be fine." Monika sounded confident.

"I suppose." Alex conceded.

"Forget Forester. You just need to watch your own arse… and mine."

"I will." Alex watched Monika remove her underclothes. "It looks fine enough to me." Alex smirked.

Monika returned a mischievous smile as she climbed under the covers. "Just get yours into bed."

"Yes, ma'am." Alex dropped his underclothes, put out the candle and joined her under the covers.

It was still fairly early as they went to bed, but it was a short while before they actually went to sleep.

~O~


	16. Chapter 16

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 16

Tirdas the 25th of Sun's Height 4E48

Alex and Monika rose before the dawn. They attended immediate requirements and dressed in their armour. There was plenty of time to take something to eat from their supplies and then check over their equipment once again in final preparation.

They left the room in the Silverhome on the Water and headed down to the streets of Bravil. Once outside, they turned right and headed directly to the northern city gates.

Durgash was already standing by the gates waiting for them. Their rings had alerted them to his proximity as they stepped out onto the street.

Durgash looked like he had prepared for all likely possibilities. Rather than the heavier armour he had worn the previous day, he wore a leather armour outfit customised with glass armour plates on the front. The lighter outfit would allow him to move more quietly. As well as his mace and shield, he also had a bow slung over his shoulder with a light quiver on his back.

"Where's Forester?" Durgash asked.

"I haven't seen him yet." Monika answered, glancing back toward the inn.

"Ah, it's gotta be about seven, by now." Durgash grumbled.

Monika reflexively glanced eastward, but the sun was still just below the eastern wall.

"You do not suppose…" Alex started to speak.

"There he is." Durgash interrupted; just as they had all realised he was coming.

Monika and Alex looked down the street to see Forester had emerged from the front door of the inn. He strode briskly toward them.

"All ready to go then?" Forester checked in.

They each indicated that they were ready.

"Very good." Forester responded. "Durgash knows the best way. He should take the lead to get us to the tower."

"Alright, then." Durgash agreed. "Let's get going."

* * *

They left the city though the north gates. A rickety wooden bridge crossed the canal that separated the gate area from the stabling facilities on the other side. There the path joined The Green Road and turned west as it continued on toward Leyawiin.

Some light cloud cover had begun to roll in across the eastern sky behind them, periodically obscuring the sun. The morning had seemed just a little cooler than the previous day, but it was still fairly warm.

A short distance from Bravil, they passed some old Ayleid ruins on the hillside above the road. No one paid it any attention, but Alex. Even he was only able to give it little more than a few cursory glances as they passed by. There were the remains of a pale stone wall near the roadside. The rest of it was further up the hill. All that could be seen was a round platform, a stone archway and several broken stones in front of a box like structure that appeared to lead into the hillside.

A little further along, The Green Road turned south and then downhill to a low bridge across the Larsius River. Looking away from the canals of the rocky delta of islands that Bravil was built upon, the river looked much like any other one as it wound westward into the hills of County Bravil.

Just across the bridge, Alex had been looking ahead along the road. He could not yet see any indication of their destination in view. "How far away is the tower?" He asked.

Durgash responded. "Ah… maybe a coupla hours… if we're sneakin' up the last bit."

Alex just nodded, satisfied with the estimate. No one else had anything to add.

They continued along the road for a while as it followed alongside that branch of the river mouth that ran behind Bravil. No one had spoken since they had passed the bridge. They had not yet seen anyone else upon the road.

As they followed the road, more clouds had begun to slowly roll in from the south. It might have been an indication of rain, but it was still too early to tell.

The road eventually led to a rise up a low hill. After a few bends in the road, Durgash had come to a halt just the before the road came to another rise up ahead.

"We should leave the road about here." Durgash advised.

The tower was still not yet in view. Alex had glanced back over his left shoulder at that point. He had noted that they had not seemed to have travelled all that far from Bravil. In fact, it seemed that the road had just followed a broad swinging arc out and around the city.

"It's not that far from here." Durgash told them.

After a moment of looking ahead as they walked, Alex spoke up. "I cannot see…"

"It's up over those hills, through the trees." Durgash assured.

Forested added his opinion. "If we can't see the tower, then they can't see us."

Alex said nothing, accepting what he heard.

Monika spoke next. "Are you going to tell us where to find the artefact?" Her question was directed at Forester. "If anything happens to you before we get to it…"

"Of course." Forester replied. "We can stop somewhere up ahead, before we get too close to the tower." He turned to the Orc. "Durgash?"

"Yeah. I'll find us a quiet spot up ahead." Durgash agreed.

* * *

They moved slowly around the hillside for a short distance. A few quick glimpses of a tall stone wall had appeared through the trees at times. Just a little further along, Durgash had led them into a slight hollow behind the cover of a few large boulders and some shrubs.

"This looks like a good spot." Durgash spoke more quietly than usual.

Each of them had glanced about with some caution as they settled in behind the large stones. The old wizard tower remained just out of sight.

Forester drew the others in closer, speaking quietly. "Well, as I said before, my information indicates that we need to get into the area below the tower. Of course, the entrance in inside the tower at ground level. Just like most of those old forts. There should be a larger area just inside." He paused to glance at each of the others. "There's just the one passage out of that first chamber. That leads down to the second chamber. Now, unless anyone has tried to break it down, the next passage should still be walled up with stone and mortar."

Forester had paused again.

"Alright, then." Durgash spoke. "So there's just the two chambers. What are we sposed to be looking for?"

Forester continued. "Well, obviously we'll need to deal with any of the bandit gang down there first."

"Obviously." Monika agreed.

Forester resumed. "Once we know it's clear, we'll be looking for the old statues set into the walls. We need to find the second statue. It should be toward the back."

Durgash again interrupted to confirm. "Second statue. Got it."

Monika and Alex remained silent but attentive.

Forester resumed again. "Beneath that statue, we'll need to remove one of the main stones in the wall. There should be a hollow behind the stone. That's where we'll find it."

"Got it." Durgash confirmed.

Monika and Alex had just nodded their understanding.

"One last thing." Forester added. "Once we have it, we'll need to get back to Bravil as quickly as possible. There should be an Imperial Naval vessel arriving this morning. They have orders to wait for us, then get us directly back to the city."

"Me too?" Durgash asked.

"Yes." Forester confirmed. "All of us."

"Yeah… alright then." Durgash accepted.

Forester glanced at the others.

"No problem." Monika responded. "I already figured as much."

Alex just nodded.

"Good, good." Forester settled. "Well, we should try to get up to the tower. Preferably without being seen or heard." He turned to Durgash. "Durgash?"

"Yeah, I'll take the lead… least as far the door." Durgash responded. "Stay low and stay quiet. And keep your eyes sharp."

Each of the others indicated their understanding.

* * *

Following behind Durgash, they made their way cautiously about the hills below the tower. The trees, shrubs and other features of the terrain provided good cover.

There were no visible breaks in the tower wall. It appeared fully enclosed all the way to the broken edges about the top. They had been even more cautious where they were able to see the top of the tower. All were aware of the possibility of a lookout watching from that vantage. Still, they had not spotted anyone up there. At least not along the western side.

Closer to the tall structure, there was a low broken wall by an overgrown path leading toward the door that led into the western side of the tower. Just as they had expected, there was no one outside the tower or near the door. They cautiously made their way up and behind that low wall. Peering over their cover, they could see that the door appeared fully intact. It looked to be of banded hardwood construction. There was nothing to seen from there. It was still reasonable to assume that it was locked and possibly barred as Forester had suggested.

Durgash spoke in low tones. "What now?"

Forester replied, just as quietly. "I'm want to try something before we tackle the door."

No one objected.

Forester had faced the direction of the tower and closed his eyes. He held his palms out toward the tower and whispered a spell of some sort. A misty glow emanated from his hands, accompanied by a subtle whooshing sound. He remained motionless for a moment.

Once the effect had faded, Forester had opened his eyes. He stared at the tower for another moment before speaking quietly. "Well, I think I can detect five in the tower."

Forester paused to check that everyone was paying full attention.

"There is one directly ahead of the door, but up high. Near the top. Probably a lookout up on the eastern wall. There are two down low, over to the left of the door. About ground level, I should think." He pointed, indicating the approximate location. "There are another two about half way up the tower on the right."

He paused to think a moment. "Now, there could be more, but those are the ones I can detect through the stone."

Monika spoke. "We'll take the first shots." She indicated Alex and herself. "Once the door is clear, we'll move in and drop low… in case you two need to fire past us."

Forester turned to Durgash. His eyes indicated a question.

Durgash responded. "Yeah. I'll start off with the bow… least until things get a bit more close and friendly."

"Very good." Forester settled. "If everyone is ready, we'll move up."

Each of the others drew their bows, indicating readiness.

They moved quietly up to the door at the base of the tower.

Forester crouched closest to the door and examined it carefully. He placed his palm over the keyhole of the rusty lock and whispered a spell. With the fading of his spell, an audible click could be heard, indicating that he had released the lock. He pushed at the door, but it moved only slightly before meeting firm resistance.

Forester turned and spoke very quietly. "Barred. Give me a moment."

He tried to peer into the crack between the door and the stone. He thought about it briefly, then whispered a spell with both of his hands held out in front. He moved his hands as though he was lifting an unseen object.

A heavy thud could be heard on the other side of the door as a wooden beam dropped to the ground.

The following actions had all occurred in rapid succession. Forester stepped back quickly. Durgash pushed the heavy door open without blocking the entrance. Monika and Alex ducked in quickly under Durgash's arm with bows at the ready. Alex on the left. Monika on the right.

Alex had been prepared to fire an arrow toward the left. Monika had also begun to aim left, but noticed a clear line of sight to the suspected lookout directly ahead and above, and quickly adjusted her aim accordingly.

Alex had taken his first shot, striking his target in the left shoulder. Only slightly off his intent. He was aiming for the heart.

Monika had taken just a moment longer to fire. Her target was up high, near the top of the tower wall. The lookout had his back to her. Monika's shot had struck the target just below the back of the neck. If the arrow had not killed immediately, the great fall would have finished the job. The lookout had tumbled over the edge to land outside the tower.

Monika had quickly turned back toward the left, noting that Alex had severely injured one of the two bandits over by the stone stairs in that direction.

Alex's second shot had only grazed the target as the bandit had unexpectedly tumbled to one side.

The second bandit on the left had also tried to duck for cover as he fumbled with his sword. Monika had aimed and fired at the moving target. The arrow had just skimmed his back as he dropped lower.

Just as both Alex and Monika were firing off another shot at each of their respective targets, another arrow had sailed over their heads. It was Durgash.

Both Alex's and Durgash's arrows had struck the injured bandit in the chest. That one was either dead or dying as he collapsed.

Monika had fired upon the second bandit seeking cover up the stairs. She had only managed to strike him in the upper thigh before he made it to the wall. He could not go any further without breaking cover.

Forester had held back as Alex and Durgash had flustered with no clear shot in the direction of that bandit by the wall on the stairs. Monika had no clear shot either.

Monika quickly side-stepped further into the open space of the tower until she gained line of sight with the bandit on the stairs. She released two shots in quick succession, dropping the bandit dead.

Just as Monika had released her second arrow, angry shouts could be heard coming from up above.

Both Alex and Durgash had turned and shouted at the same time.

"Monika." Alex shouted, as Durgash had called out. "Up above."

Monika had responded immediately, tucking in up against the large stone column just behind her. That placed her out of view from the bandits above.

Forester had pushed his way through the doorway. He could see the movement up on the second of the three stone platforms. There were two bandits emerging from an alcove.

"That's it." Forester declared, indicating he was about to join the fray.

Two arrows sailed down from above as Forester had taken position behind the cover of the nook in the stone wall next to the door.

One arrow had struck the ground just next to Alex's foot as he leapt behind the other stone column opposite the one shielding Monika.

The second arrow had just grazed Durgash's leg as he followed just a moment behind Alex. "Bastard." He called out, just as he made it to cover.

Forester had responded by releasing a fireball in the direction of the bandit archers above. The fire had not actually connected with either of them, striking the wall behind them. It did have the effect of disrupting their confidence. Two more arrows had been released, but had struck the ground well short of any target.

After a moment, Forester was ready to repeat his previous attack. He moved sharply, leaning out from cover and releasing another fireball. As he did so, three arrows had whistled past him. At least one had missed by only a hair's breadth.

"There's three." Durgash shouted.

"I noticed." Forester replied, clearly annoyed that his detection spell had failed to pick out the third.

Monika was frustrated by her position behind the column. She had dared to release a poorly aimed shot. It had gone nowhere any of the bandits above, but it gave her the opportunity to gain some idea of exactly where they were. Her action had also attracted a return volley of arrows sailing past the column. She had been just quick enough that none came close to hitting her. It was likely that the arrows had been pointed toward Forester's position before she had moved.

"We're gonna have to go up there." Durgash yelled.

Forester responded. "Northwind and Forester will provide cover." He said his own name that way to confuse the bandits. They wouldn't know he was talking about himself.

Durgash spoke more quietly to Alex. "It's you and me."

Alex nodded silently, keeping his bow at the ready.

"Be ready to switch to sword and shield if we get close enough." Durgash added.

Alex nodded again.

Forester had been watching Alex and Durgash from his position. Forester and Durgash exchanged nods.

Forester broke cover to release another fireball. Monika had been watching for it. She also leaned out to release another arrow. At the same time, Durgash and Alex had made their move. With some limited cover from the column, they dashed for the stairs.

The return volley of arrows from above had been mostly directed toward Forester's position. He probably seemed the greater threat. Alex and Durgash had made it up the first run of stairs to the relative cover of where the stone stairs turned back over themselves.

Half way up that first flight of stairs, Alex had peered out from cover with his bow at the ready. Over the stairs ahead, he could just see two of the three bandits from his position. A Redguard man and a Dunmer woman. They were both aiming their bows toward Forester's position. Alex took a shot before ducking back to cover. His arrow had struck the Redguard in his upper right arm.

Durgash had quickly repeated Alex's action, though he didn't actually hit anyone.

The Redguard had pulled back into the alcove. A fair skinned man moved to take his position. He could have been Nord, Breton or Imperial. Not that it mattered.

Monika and Forester had witnessed what Alex and Durgash were doing. The crossfire would serve to keep the bandits where they were. She considered the best course of action and tried to get Forester's attention. She indicated that he should keep firing from his position, and she would join the other two.

As Forester launched his next fireball, Monika had dashed low and fast. She dodged past the other column as Alex and Durgash had taken shots. She made it to the stone stairs and up to their position.

"Northwind, you musta been reading my mind." Durgash said with his toothy grin.

Monika responded. "Alex and I can keep up the cover fire. With the crossfire from Forester…"

Durgash finished. "And I can make a run up there. Exactly what I was thinking."

Alex was concentrating upon firing arrows and ducking back for cover, but he was listening. Pausing before his next shot, he spoke. "Sounds good."

"Alright." Durgash said. "I'm going in. Don't hit me."

Alex and Monika positioned themselves to one side, arrows nocked at the ready. As soon as they heard Forester fire off another fireball, they moved to take shots. At the same time, Durgash had dodged past them to make his run.

Durgash dashed up the stairs and disappeared up the next flight to the level that the bandits occupied. He had paused at the halfway point where he was again hidden from the view of the bandits.

More arrows and fireballs had sailed though the air. Durgash had popped out from cover with his bow, but he didn't take a shot. He hadn't been spotted. He waited for the next fireball from below. Then he made a dash forward as the bandits ducked for cover. He made it to the cover of the first support column on the right. However, he had been seen.

Durgash's advance had served to split the attention of the bandits even further. It had worked out well enough. With that added distraction, either Monika or Alex had managed to strike the Dunmer woman with an arrow to the thigh. However, it had still not changed the numbers. The Redguard had just returned from the alcove with a makeshift bandage on his arm. Although injured, he had managed to get himself back into action.

More shots continued to fly from each direction.

A moment later, a desperate cry was heard. Durgash had peered out just in time to see the fair skinned man falling toward the ground with two arrows in his chest.

Durgash took that as his cue. He quickly discarded his bow, then drew his mace and shield. He broke cover and dashed forward. He passed the second column and headed directly for his targets.

The Redguard was taking a shot toward Alex and Monika's position. He had only noted Durgash peripherally. He wasn't ready to respond.

The Dunmer was sitting on the stone floor back by the wall, out of view of those below. She still had an arrow in her thigh, but she had kept her bow at the ready. She had spotted Durgash coming toward them.

Durgash had rushed forward. The Dunmer had started firing arrows at Durgash in rapid succession. The first had sailed past him. The second struck his shield. The third buried in his left leg. Durgash ignored the pain.

The Redguard had also turned his attention to Durgash. An arrow had nicked his shoulder as it passed, but Durgash wasn't about to stop for anything at that point. He closed on the Redguard. He unleashed a mighty backhander with his mace. He had connected with the Redguard and sent him sailing over the edge toward the ground below.

Durgash had not paused to check his work. Another arrow from the Dunmer had nicked his other leg. He didn't need to be reminded that she was there. He leapt upon her position. His shield took the next arrow. He lashed out at the Dunmer with mace and shield. It was all over in no time.

"All clear." Durgash shouted. He then collected his bow and made his way back downstairs with a pronounced limp.

They all regrouped at ground level.

Forester spoke first. "Well, that took a bit longer than expected."

"Yeah." Durgash agreed. "But at least I got to hit something."

Forester had glanced at the heavy door that led to the underground section. "It would seem that the thick walls have kept all the noise from being heard below."

"If there is anyone down there…" Alex interjected.

"Assume there is." Monika said. "We need to tend to wounds before going down." It was mostly Durgash she was referring to.

"Okay." Alex said. He had a minor gash on his leg that only he had noticed. Alex had cast a healing spell upon himself.

Monika had an expression of approval as she turned to examine Durgash. He had two gashes to one leg and another on his shoulder. The biggest issue was the arrow shaft buried in his left leg.

"It ain't that bad." Durgash suggested. "Except for this arrow."

"Lay down on your side, so we can get the arrow out." Monika told him.

Durgash did as she asked. Monika proceeded to extract the shaft. Durgash grunted as she did so.

Forester moved forward. "Allow me to heal the wounds."

Monika glanced back at him.

"I have much more magic in reserve." Forester suggested. "You should try to save yours, in case you need it."

Monika nodded and stepped back.

Forester attended to Durgash's wounds.

Alex and Monika took the opportunity to scout the area and retrieve some of the spent arrows lying about the place.

A few moments later, Durgash was back up on his feet and they were all ready to continue again.

"Shall we continue?" Forester checked with others.

Each of the others indicated readiness.

They moved to the door that led below. It was not locked.

"We'll take the lead." Monika indicated Alex and herself.

They readied their bows and moved quietly into the entrance. That first passage was only about eight paces long, before it opened up to a larger chamber on the right. An alcove in the wall opposite the end of the corridor had two bedrolls on the stone floor. A wall-mounted lamp burned just before the far end of the corridor.

Alex and Monika moved forward quietly, with Durgash and Forester keeping just a short distance behind. They had not seen nor heard anything as they moved along the corridor.

Alex and Monika both slowed to a halt just before the end of the passage.

There was a recess in the floor just ahead with stone stairs leading down to the lower level of the larger chamber. The drop to the surface of the floor below was only about chest-height. It was bit darker about the stairs, but there was another glow emanating from somewhere off to the right.

Monika and Alex had both cautiously peered around the edge of the wall on their right into the larger chamber. In the half of the chamber that they could see, there were three bandits near the far wall. Three fair-skinned men. Two of them were sleeping on bedrolls. The third was sitting up against the wall reading a book by lamplight. The other half of the chamber remained out of view behind the wall. There wasn't any light coming from that side of the chamber.

Monika had turned to signal Forester and Durgash, indicating that she could see three bandits. She then turned to Alex and signalled intent to attack. She indicated that she would take the one sitting up. Alex nodded to show that he was ready.

On Monika's signal, they had commenced firing. Monika's first shot had been devastatingly effective. The arrow lodged in the bandit's throat.

Alex had also hit his target with the very first shot, striking a sleeping bandit in the side of the chest. He had proceeded to strike the bandit with a second arrow as he tried to get up.

At the same time, Monika had fired upon the other sleeping bandit. Her first shot had stuck in the bandit's upper arm. As he rolled onto his side, Monika placed a second shot into the centre of his chest.

All three bandits were either already dead, or would be in moments.

Before Monika and Alex had time move forward, noises were heard coming from the shadows of the part of the chamber that remained out of view.

A male voice from the shadows had said something. Only the very last part of it could be made out. "… under attack."

"There's more." Monika said out loud.

Monika and Alex had both moved ahead with their bows at the ready. Durgash and Forester had also moved up to join the fight.

The first bandit emerged from the shadows with a sword and shield in hand. He had tried to use a stone pillar in the centre of the chamber as cover. A tall Redguard man. He was soon joined by another, then another three, making a total of five.

Three of the others were fair-skinned humans. One of them a woman. The last man looked to be a Bosmer from his lesser stature.

The battle began with an exchange of arrows and a fireball from Forester. However, only one of the bandits was an archer. That was the Bosmer. The rest had other ideas. The other four had pressed forward to force melee combat.

Forester had taken care of the archer by setting him on fire. However, he had to quickly shift tactics and draw his blades.

Monika and Alex had just winged two of the bandits as they had started to rush forward. They had since both dropped their bows and switched to melee weapons to deal with the approaching threat.

Durgash had wasted no time reacting to the situation. After Forester had launched his first fireball, he had push past him and leapt forward to the floor below, engaging the nearest bandit with mace and shield.

The conflict was over in a matter of moments. All the bandits lay dead upon the stone floor of the chamber. Forester's melee opponent was the last to fall as Durgash interrupted the battle by finishing the bandit with a blow to the back of the head.

Forester had looked to Durgash.

Durgash returned the look. "What? You were taking too long."

Forester and Durgash had turned toward the back corner to look at the passage entrance to the second chamber. Not much light reached the opening of the passageway. There was no indication of anyone coming, but that didn't mean that there was no one down there.

Alex was looking about the darker side of the chamber. His eyes had adjusted somewhat to the lower lighting. There were a few crates, barrels and chests. He had counted seven bedrolls. He added that number to the other ones he had seen. He came up with twelve. He also made a mental count of the bandits they had killed so far. He came up with thirteen. He hadn't yet decided what that meant.

Monika spoke up. "Is everyone alright?"

"Mostly." Forester said, casting a healing spell over himself. Whatever his wound, it was not immediately obvious.

Monika had turned to Alex.

"I am fine." Alex responded.

"Durgash?" Monika asked.

"Yeah, just a coupla bruises." Durgash answered. "Nothin' to worry about."

"We should still proceed with caution." Forester suggested, again looking to the passageway at the rear of the chamber.

"Always." Monika agreed. "I'll take the lead again."

"Of course." Forester confirmed.

Monika had looked to Alex. With a tilt of her head, she invited him to follow. She moved to the passage entrance with bow drawn. Alex had followed just behind with his own bow at the ready. Forester and Durgash followed a little further behind.

Peering around the corner, Monika looked down the passage. Although it was fairly dark, she was soon almost certain that there was nobody there. There was a dim light coming from somewhere beyond the other end of the passage.

The corridor led down a few gradual steps. After about another eight paces, it turned to the right. Monika had proceeded slowly, ready for anything. She peered around that corner.

The passage continued for about six paces before opening up into the larger chamber beyond. The light seemed to be coming from a wall lamp just out of view to the left of the end of the corridor. There was still no sign of anyone down there.

Forester had shuffled up to where Monika and Alex were standing at the corner in the passage. He spoke quietly. "If there's anyone there, they'll already know we're coming. Allow me to check ahead."

Forester had again cast one of his detection spells. After moment, he spoke. "I can't detect anyone."

Monika nodded, but remained just a little sceptical.

With some measure of caution, they all moved forward along the passage. Even if there wasn't anyone there, there was still the possibility of traps.

Inside the second chamber, a wall-mounted lamp burned just where Monika had thought it was. To the left of the lamp, there was another bedroll and a chest by the wall. There were no obvious traps in sight and no one else there, so far.

Just ahead of the passage opening was a large pillar. There was another one further ahead in the shadows beyond the reach of the lamplight.

"Hey." Durgash said, directing attention to the statue set into the wall on the right.

"That is the first one." Alex commented.

Durgash reached down to the base of the statue. He picked up two torches from the stone ledge. "Here. Light these up." He passed them to Alex.

Alex lit the torches from the flames of the wall lamp. He handed one back to Durgash and kept the other for himself.

"We should check the rest of the chamber." Forester suggested.

Monika remained on alert as Alex and Durgash moved ahead with the torches. The rest of the chamber contained more crates and barrels, but no more bandits in hiding.

Toward the back of the chamber, they found the second statue set into the wall. To the right, there was a short passage to a raised alcove. It was empty. To the left, they could see the bricked up passage entrance that once led to the hidden tunnels.

Satisfied that they were alone, Monika had finally allowed herself to relax just a little.

Durgash used his torch to ignite the wall-mounted oil lamp near the second statue, casting a greater measure of light over the back wall.

"Well, this should be it." Forester said, looking at the statue.

Alex had cleared away some barrels off to the left, as Durgash shifted some crates off toward the right.

"I can't see nothin' there." Durgash had said, looking about the base of statue as he shifted the last crate.

"That's the general idea." Forester responded. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be much of a hiding place." He kneeled down to examine the stones below the statue more closely.

"Well?" Durgash prompted.

"It's hard to tell." Forester conceded. "But I think it should be this main stone, right here." He drew his dagger and started to scrape at the mortar.

The others watched on as Forester dug away at the mortar. After a few moments, his dagger had pushed through at one point where he had been scraping. He kept going as he spoke. "I think there is a hollow in there. The mortar doesn't go all the way."

"This is gonna take a while." Durgash commented. "Take a break and let me have a go for a while."

"Very well." Forester complied. He stepped back and passed his dagger over to Durgash. "Try not to break it."

"Yeah, yeah." Durgash agreed, as he kneeled down to tackle the job. He started on the right-hand side. "Hey, Pinewatch. How about getting on the other side of this?"

"Okay." Alex agreed. He drew his sword and started scaping along the left-hand side of the stone.

Forester watched on as Durgash and Alex worked at the mortar.

Monika had taken a moment to go back and check the chamber again. There wasn't anyone there, but she had been growing anxious with waiting around.

After a while, Durgash had spoken with some excitement. "Hey, I think this is coming loose. It moved… just a bit."

Alex spoke. "I cannot… cannot get a grip…"

"Me neither." Durgash agreed.

Forester interrupted. "I might be able to help."

Durgash looked up at Forester, confused by the suggestion.

"With magic." Forester clarified.

Durgash and Alex both backed away hurriedly.

"Don't worry." Forester reassured. "Nothing like that." He composed himself and whispered a spell with his hands held out toward the stone. He used his magic in an attempt to pull at the stone. After a moment, the stone had started to shift just a little.

Durgash and Alex had moved back into position on either side of the stone.

Durgash grunted. "Just… just a bit more."

Forester tried his spell again as Durgash and Alex struggled to gain purchase. With all three of them working at it, the stone began to come free.

"That's it." Durgash said. "It's coming out."

"I have it." Alex assured, as he struggled to keep his side level with the other one.

They pulled the stone the rest of the way out and lowered it the short distance to the floor below. They both peered into the dark cavity in the stonework.

"Careful." Forester warned.

"There could still be a trap of some sort." Monika suggested.

Durgash grabbed a torch to cast some light in there. He passed it to Alex. "Hold onto this." Alex took the torch as Durgash poked inside the hollow with Forester's dagger. "I can't… can't see no crown." The dagger found a dusty old leather pouch, the same colour as the stone of the wall. Durgash withdrew the pouch. "Only this…" He passed the pouch up to Forester, still looking inside the hollow. "Nah, that's it."

Alex and Durgash had both turned to look at Forester. He was examining the old leather pouch. Monika had stood beside him and looked on.

"It doesn't seem… protected." Forester commented. "As far as I can tell."

"Well, open it then." Durgash grumbled.

Forester carefully opened the pouch. He was still concerned that it might be magically protected, but also concerned with the fragility of the old pouch. Inside the pouch, there was a slightly squashed scroll. It seemed to be fairly durable material. He discarded the pouch and unfurled the scroll.

Forester and Monika looked at the scroll for a moment.

Durgash was impatient. "Well?"

Monika answered. "It looks to me like… ancient Ayleid?"

"Hmm." Forester considered. "Yes, I think so."

Durgash looked at each of them. "Can anyone read it?"

"I can't." Forester conceded.

Monika shook her head.

Alex remained silent. He didn't think that anyone expected him to speak the obvious.

"Well, what's that mean, then?" Durgash prompted.

Forester responded. "Well, I suspect that the crown is even better hidden than we believed. I should think that this scroll details the actual location."

"But we can't read it." Durgash grumbled.

"No." Forester confirmed. "But someone at the Imperial Tower will be able to."

"So?" Durgash prompted again.

"So, we head back to the city, as planned."

"Alright, then." Durgash agreed. He started to gather himself to head back toward the exit. "You coming?"

"Just a moment." Forester said. He rolled up the scroll to place it back into the pouch.

Alex was standing by the stone and he crouched down. "Should we put this back?"

Monika came over. "I don't see much point. Even if someone else comes down here for the same reason, they'll see it's been removed."

"Okay." Alex agreed.

Alex and Monika turned to join Forester. They started to head out. Durgash was already headed to the far end of the chamber.

They heard Durgash call out. "Hey…"

Durgash fell to the stone floor with a heavy thud near the passage entrance.

Three figures emerged from the shadows of the passage. At the front, a male Altmer in full elven armour stood slightly crouched. A dagger in his right hand, a ball of magic welling up in his left. He was flanked by two archers aiming arrows directly past him. Both men also appeared Altmer.

The ball of magic was released, striking Forester.

Forester collapsed to the floor, first to his knees, then falling flat on his face as he tried to speak. "P…p…para…" He was trying to say 'paralysed'.

Monika and Alex had moved to draw their bows.

"DON'T even bother." The Altmer in the elven armour said. He already had another ball of magic forming in his hand. "Drop the weapons. Now."

Alex knew that he wouldn't stand a chance of getting off a shot. He had glanced to Monika. The frustration was clear in her expression as she dropped her bow to the floor. Alex dropped his bow on top of hers.

"And the other weapons" The armoured Altmer pressed. "And the shields."

Monika hesitated just a moment. Alex was taking his lead from Monika.

"Do it." The man at the front ordered. The two archers were still poised to strike.

"Alright." Monika conceded. She slid her shield to the floor, then dropped her mace and dagger on top.

Alex had again followed Monika's actions, dropping his shield with his sword on top.

The three intruders maintained their stance.

"Where is it?" The Altmer demanded.

Monika spoke softly to Alex. "Last resort."

Alex looked back at her with wide eyes. He was uncertain if he actually understood.

"Speak up." The man said loudly.

Monika's expression was insistent. Alex had decided that he did understand.

"Give it to them." Monika said.

Alex turned to face them directly and bellowed loudly. "FUS."

The three figures were flung from the force of Alex's voice. They had connected with the sidewall and landed in a heap in the entrance to the passageway.

In that same moment, Monika had dropped to the floor, collecting her dagger with her right hand and Alex's sword in her left. She dashed forward at her best speed. She drove Alex's sword into the throat of the magic wielding Altmer. With her dagger, she quickly slashed the throats of the two archers that lay beneath him.

Monika paused a moment to look down the passage. She dashed ahead to the corner in the corridor and looked along the next stretch. She listened intently. Reasonably satisfied that nobody was coming, she dashed back into the chamber.

Monika stopped to check on Durgash. "Oh, shit." She left him to go over to Alex.

Alex was down on his hands and knees, struggling for breath. Monika cast a healing spell over him, then tried to check him over. She knew that the archers had released arrows as they were struck down. Since she was busy going for the blades, she hadn't seen where they went.

"I… I… I am okay." Alex managed to get out.

Monika fussed a little more, looking for injuries. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Alex said weakly, shifting to sit back on his backside. "Durgash?"

Monika paused. "He's dead."

"No." Alex looked over toward where Durgash lay on the stone floor.

Forester groaned as he rolled onto his side.

Monika turned to check on him. He had a bloodied nose and his cheek had taken damage from the floor. Due to the vaguely glazed look in his eyes, Monika cast a healing spell over him. Aside from the obvious, she could not tell if he was otherwise injured.

"Are you alright?" Monika prompted Forester. He had yet to speak. "Can you hear me?"

Forester had paused to spit some blood on the floor. "For the most part, I should think. Thank you." He moved to a sitting position. "Just give me a moment." Forester winced as he felt the side of his jaw. He then cast an additional healing spell over himself.

Monika had turned back to Alex. He was still sitting back in a weakened state. She went around to his backpack and rummaged to find his potions.

"What?" Alex said weakly.

"I want you to take these." Monika answered. She produced two vials.

"What is…" Alex started to ask.

"A healing potion for starters… and this endurance potion."

Alex looked back at her.

"Just take them." Monika insisted. "You need to be back up and ready. In case there are any others up there."

Forester had climbed back up to his feet. "Did I hear correctly? They killed Durgash?"

"Yeah." Monika replied.

"Bastards." Forester spat. "You let them die too quickly."

Monika stared back at Forester. "They're dead." She said flatly.

"Of course." Forester said, looking over toward the bodies. He brushed the dust off himself and stashed the pouch into his bag.

Monika had pulled Alex back up to his feet. The potions had yet to take proper effect. She gave him his shield and bow and then picked up her own weapons.

Forester spoke up. "Is there any point… in my asking about exactly what happened?"

"About what?" Monika returned.

"That… that thing, that Pinewatch did."

Alex didn't say anything.

Monika looked back at Forester for a lengthy moment before responding. "We'd appreciate it if you didn't ask. It might be better if you just forgot about it and kept it to yourself."

Forester looked back at both of them. "I understand. I expect that I'd be quite dead, if it were not for the both of you." He paused. "I was paralysed. I didn't see a thing… or hear a thing." He offered a grin.

"Good." Monika settled.

"What about Durgash?" Alex asked.

Forester walked over toward where Durgash lay. "Well, I don't want to leave him here, but we can't take him with us."

Monika and Alex had made their way over to stand just behind Forester.

"There could be more…" Monika suggested.

"Yes." Forester agreed. "We'll have to come back for him later, or at least send someone." After a pause. "Give me a hand. We can at least set him down on that bedroll over there."

Monika assisted Forester in moving Durgash over to the bedroll by the wall.

"Pinewatch." Forester grunted. "Get his mace. It should stay with him."

Alex collected Durgash's mace and brought it over. Durgash was positioned upon the bedroll. They placed his mace upon his chest with his hands upon it. Except for the blood soaking his leather armour, he looked more like he was just resting, rather than dead.

"That's all we can do, for now." Monika said.

Forester looked down for a moment. "I'm going to make sure that they send his payment to his family. He earned that… and more."

They all fell silent for another moment. Each of them, for their own reasons.

"We need to get out of here." Forester announced.

"Carefully." Monika suggested.

They moved over to the three dead intruders in the passage entrance. Monika retrieved Alex's sword and handed it to him.

"They're all Altmer, aren't they?" Forester asked.

"Yeah." Monika confirmed. "They don't look local." She based that comment upon the unfamiliar appearance of their armour.

"From the Summerset Isles, I'd guess." Forester suggested.

"That's what I was thinking." Monika agreed.

"The Thalmor faction." Alex interjected.

"Yes, I expect so." Forester resolved. "It would make sense." After a pause. "Let's see if we can make it out of here to talk about it."

* * *

The three of them made their way out of the chamber with great caution. They remained just as cautious as they entered the next chamber and passed through. So far, they had seen nothing other than the bandits that they had killed earlier.

Emerging from the underground area of the tower, they found much the same. The dead bandits remained where they had fallen. There was still no sign of any other intruders.

Despite their valid concerns, it seemed that the three Thalmor agents that they had killed had been the only ones about. At least as far as they could tell.

They had kept away from the road for a short distance, effectively retracing the path that they had taken earlier. The cloud cover overhead had increased markedly since the morning. Although it not had yet delivered rain, it seemed rather more likely.

Upon reaching the road, they moved briskly as they headed back to Bravil. Still, they resisted the urge to run along the road. It wouldn't have been wise to find themselves worn down if any they encountered any trouble.

* * *

As it passed, they made it all the way back to Bravil without any problems.

Just north of the entrance to Bravil, there were two Imperial Navy men standing across the road near the stables. One of them stepped forward as they neared that location.

"Forester?" The naval man called out.

"Yes." Forester replied. "With Northwind and Pinewatch."

"I was told there would be four of you."

"We lost Durgash." Forester explained.

"I have orders to escort you all to my ship."

"Yes, yes. In a moment."

"I have my orders…"

"I said, in a moment." Forester snapped at him.

The naval man had taken a step further forward. Monika stepped in between them, as Forester turned toward the Bravil guard standing by the bridge.

"Just a moment." Monika said more quietly.

Forester spoke briefly with the guard, then returned briskly.

"Alright, then." Forester settled. "Let's be on our way."

The naval men escorted them across the field east of the city entrance. Just over the hill, there was a rowboat down at the shoreline ready to take them to the ship moored by the river mouth.

As they approached the rowboat, Alex had asked Forester a question. "What did you tell the guard?"

"The guard?" Forester responded. "Jackson… no, Johnson. That's his name. I asked him to take a message to the Fighter's Guild. To tell them that Durgash gro-Durgash had fallen in battle. Also to ask them to retrieve his body from the old wizard toward."

"Good." Alex agreed.

"Well, it's the best we can manage, in the circumstances." Forester grimaced.

Upon reaching the rowboat, they were taken onto the naval vessel. The ship seemed only slightly larger than the trading vessel that brought them to Bravil the previous day. It was just starting to rain lightly as they climbed onto the deck.

"I am instructed to bring you directly to the captain." The naval man announced.

Forester nodded. "Very good."

He led them into the cabin area and directly to the captain's quarters. The three of them shuffled inside. The other man remained outside.

The captain was sitting behind a desk in the middle of the cabin. He was an Imperial man. He looked a little like Forester. He even had a similar beard. He stood up from his seat to greet them. "Captain Ione." He announced. "You must be Forester."

"Yes." Forester confirmed. "This is Northwind and Pinewatch."

"Wasn't there an Orc with you?"

"Yes, he was lost in battle."

"Unfortunate." Ione commented.

Forester left it that.

Captain Ione continued on task. "Well, my orders come from up top. I have to get you all back to the Imperial City, along with whatever you have with you."

"Very good." Forester agreed.

"You are to be escorted all the way to the White-Gold Tower." Ione added.

"Of course." Forester confirmed.

"In the mean time, I'll have my man provide you with cabins. It could be a good ten or eleven hours to the city. Even longer, if the wind doesn't pick up."

"Understood." Forester accepted.

Captain Ione shuffled toward the door and opened it. He spoke to his man outside, instructing him to take the three passengers to appropriate cabins.

They were led down to cabins on the mid-level deck. Monika and Alex chose to share a cabin, as Forester was led to a cabin of his own.

* * *

As was reasonable to expect, the cabins were rather cramped. Alex and Monika had about enough room to drop their equipment on the floor, leaving little room for anything else. As they sat down upon the lower bunk, they could feel the vessel begin to move. It had to be almost two hours past midday by the time that the ship had started to get under way.

Once they had sat down for a moment, Alex had suddenly realised that he was rather hungry. Monika had agreed that they should probably eat, since they had the down time.

Although they couldn't see out of the cabin, they could hear that the rain must have become heavier outside. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to hear it at all.

The wind had been dying off as the rain set in, but there should have been enough to drive the sails. Also, the tide had just turned against them in the past hour, so they could expect the first part of the voyage would be a bit slow. There was nothing to do but wait.

Monika and Alex had spoken briefly about what might be likely to happen next. That is, after they had reported back to the Imperial Tower. Monika supposed that they would be going after the crown, if the scroll actually indicated the location. However, they just didn't know enough yet to predict exactly what would be expected of them.

After a brief silence, Alex had spoken again. "I really liked Durgash." He lamented.

Monika looked at him with a sad expression. "So did I."

"It could have been any one of us." Alex suggested.

"It could have been all of us." Monika countered. "If not for your…"

Alex said nothing for a moment, accepting what she said. Then, something came to mind. "Forester is… not what I thought… maybe." He considered for a further moment. "I still do not really like him… but he is not so bad… I suppose."

"Yeah." Monika agreed, with a strained grin. After another moment. "We should probably rest while we can. It'll be really late by the time that we reach the city." She pulled off her boots as she spoke.

"Yes." Alex agreed. "You are probably right." He also pulled off his boots.

Monika proceeded to peel off her leathers, stripping down as far as her underclothes as Alex did the same.

"I will take the upper bunk." Alex said, preparing to climb up.

"No." Monika complained, taking his hand to hold him back.

Alex looked back at her. "I do not think…"

"No, not that…" Monika said quietly. She lay down on the bunk and shifted up against the wall, drawing Alex down beside her. "Just… just lay down… and hold me."

"Okay." Alex had responded softly. He moved up alongside Monika and held her in comfortable embrace.

They had remained like that for a good long while in perfect silence. They were both tired, though not necessarily sleepy. However, the rolling motion of the vessel had served to draw them both toward drowsiness. Eventually, that had both drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

~O~


	17. Chapter 17

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 17

Middas the 26th of Sun's Height 4E48

Alex and Monika were woken by the noise of someone rapping on the door. They had no idea what time it was. The unseen voice from the other side of the cabin door had informed them that the ship was approaching the Imperial City.

They had climbed out of the cramped bunk and dressed in their leathers. Gathering up the rest of their equipment, they prepared to leave the cabin.

They had paused by the cabin doorway. Forester was coming down the passageway toward them. He had also looked as though he must have slept, but didn't look particularly well rested. Since he already knew the way, Forester had directed Monika and Alex toward the limited bathroom facilities, and then waited for their return.

Making their way upward, the three of them were met just short of the upper deck by the captain and two of his men. Captain Ione had just wanted to see them off. In a somewhat businesslike fashion, he had wished them luck and left his two men to serve as escort.

The group continued up to the main deck of the vessel. The sky was dark except for those stars that could be seen through the broken cloud cover. Both of the moons were somewhere behind the clouds. At least it had stopped raining.

Alex had asked about the time. One of the naval men had informed him that it was almost two hours past midnight. That meant that it must have taken almost twelve hours to get there from Bravil. A bit longer than expected.

The vessel was not berthed at any of the docks of the waterfront. The ship had been anchored in the harbour, just east of the lighthouse. A rowboat was deployed to reach the shore.

The waterfront area seemed almost completely deserted at that hour. The only sign of movement was a guard on patrol over on the main docks. The flame of a torch gently bobbed as the guard strolled along the dock.

The rowboat came ashore upon the sand between the lighthouse and the tunnel entrance to the main city. The single torch carried by one of the naval men did little to affect the darkness. The flames of the lighthouse far above did not cast any light toward the ground. An oil lamp mounted upon the wall by the tunnel entrance was their only beacon.

* * *

Leaving the waterfront behind, the group of five had passed through the doors into the tunnel entrance. Only because it was so dark outside, the dimly lit tunnel seemed much brighter.

There was just the one guard on duty by the lower doors. He had passed a nod of acknowledgment as the party passed by.

Up ahead, there were a few of the usual beggars along the walls. Several were asleep. Just a few were sitting up against the wall. At their approach, one of the beggars had stirred. He had risen and prepared to start his routine.

The naval man at the front of their party had adjusted his pace. He moved toward the beggar and shoved him roughly back to the floor. "Stay down." He barked.

"You do not need to..." Alex protested.

Monika had placed her hand upon Alex's arm. "Leave it." She spoke quietly.

Alex bristled, but did as she said.

Forester added his opinion. "Any one of this lot could be Thieves Guild, or even something worse. Best keep moving."

As they passed by the beggars, none of them made a move to come near them. Still, the naval man at the rear had turned a few times to cast a watchful eye about.

The climb to the upper end of the tunnel had passed without further incident. Another guard stood by the doors at that end. Or more the case, he had been leaning heavily against the wall until he had heard their approach. From the dulled appearance of his eyes, it seemed that he might have mastered the skill of snoozing without falling over.

They passed through the doors into the Temple District of the city. The light cast by the street lamps near the doors seemed almost blinding against the darker shadows further afield. Across the street, there was a single lamp by the door to the Temple of the One. A few other lamps burned here and there off in the distance. However without the benefit of moonlight, many of the streets remained only dimly lit.

As they passed by the temple on their way toward the gated doors that led to The Green Emperor Way, a figure emerged from the shadows along the side of that building.

Almost immediately, weapons were drawn in preparation.

"Stand down." The shadowed figure spoke firmly. "The inspector sent me to see that you make it the tower." The figure stepped forward slowly. It was the same man that Alex and Monika had seen a few days before.

"He's an agent. I've seen him before." Monika offered.

"As have I." Forester added.

The two naval men accepted that information and sheathed their weapons.

The Penitus Oculatus agent spoke again. "Now, if you please." He gestured ahead. "Let's get to the tower."

* * *

They continued across the Temple District to the gated doors and entered the central district of the city. They made their way along the path and around to the guarded entrance to the White-Gold Tower. Upon reaching the doors to the tower, the agent dismissed the naval men and the rest of them went inside.

The agent led them along the increasingly familiar path through the tower. Around the curving corridor and up to the second level above. Again taking them to the same room with the table and chairs. As expected, the agent had asked them to wait there for the inspector.

They each unburdened themselves of their equipment and took seats at the table. It had to be more than three hours past midnight by the time they had arrived. There was some reasonable expectation of a long wait ahead. In that respect, they would not be disappointed.

They had briefly exchanged opinions over what to expect next. Forester seemed confident that the scroll would be translated and that they would be going after the missing crown as soon as possible. Monika remained uncertain. Alex had hoped that Forester's expectations were right. He hated to think that Durgash had died for nothing.

For a lengthy period of time, they had waited in relative silence. It was more than an hour before the older inspector had finally arrived.

As the inspector shuffled into the room, Forester had shifted his chair around to the end of the table to leave one side fully free for the inspector.

The inspector nodded briefly to each of them as he took the seat at the table. As before, he took out pen and ink and set them upon the table. He removed his worn book from his bag and placed it in front of himself. However, he had not yet opened it. He placed his hands upon the table and paused a moment before addressing the three of them.

"I understand that one of you did not make it back. Most unfortunate." The inspector paused a moment. "However, I do hope that you have returned with good news."

Forester spoke up. "Well, yes and no."

The inspector stared at Forester.

Forester produced the pouch they had retrieved and withdrew the scroll from inside.

The inspector seemed to slightly falter in maintaining his composure. "Perhaps, you should explain."

"Well, this is the short version…" Forester began. "We entered the old wizard tower near Bravil. After eliminating the bandit gang at that location, we proceeded to the hiding place in the lower level. There was no indication it had been previously disturbed. However, the only item inside was this scroll." He paused briefly. "As we prepared to leave, we were ambushed by a group of Altmer of foreign appearance. Durgash gro-Durgash was killed before we managed to defeat the intruders. Afterward, we returned here with this scroll."

The inspector stared at Forester for a lengthy moment with his pale blue eyes. He glanced momentarily at Monika and Alex, before returning his gaze back to Forester. "Perhaps you should tell me the longer version."

The inspector opened his book and prepared make some notes.

Forester composed himself and then proceeded with a more detailed report of their mission to the old wizard tower. In keeping with his word, the only detail that he had glossed over was the exact method of how the three Altmer were defeated.

The inspector had continued to make notes for a few further moments after Forester had completed his report. He had then taken a moment to examine the scroll before he spoke.

"So, you believe that this scroll indicates the actual location of the artefact?"

Forester had glanced briefly at Monika and Alex. "Well, yes. That is what we think."

"I take it that none of you can read this?" The inspector prompted.

"Well, no." Forester confirmed. "Can you?"

"Unfortunately not." The inspector clarified. "However, I am confident that I have access to someone who can read it."

The inspector rolled the scroll and placed in back into the pouch. He then inferred a further question. "These Altmer that you encountered?"

Monika spoke up. "We think that they might've been from Alinor. Though we didn't really get a chance to find out."

"Agreed." Forester echoed. "I suspect that they were agents of the Thalmor faction. I expect that's the other… 'interested party'… that you mentioned previously."

The inspector had paused a moment before responding. "Hmm, yes. A reasonable conclusion. Are you certain that there were no others?"

Forester answered. "Well, as certain as we can be, I would suppose. We certainly didn't see any others."

Monika chimed in. "We didn't see those ones, until it was too late. We didn't see any others, but I couldn't say that there weren't any."

"Maybe watching from a distance." Alex speculated.

"Hmm, yes. Quite possible." The inspector accepted. "We should all remain upon a state of alert. I very much doubt that this is over." He paused to contemplate.

Alex interrupted the silence. "Will we be going after the crown?"

The inspector glanced at him. "Well, first things first. I need to learn exactly what this scroll says. If it does indicate the location of the artefact, then a strategy will be formulated." He paused briefly. "However we are to proceed, it will be with great caution."

"Of course." Forester agreed. Monika and Alex had silently nodded their agreement.

The inspector inferred another question. "The other enchanted ring?"

Forester responded. "I have it."

Monika and Alex had both looked at Forester in surprise as he reached into a pouch and produced the ring that Durgash had been wearing. They had no idea that he had taken it.

The inspector took the ring from Forester. "Very good. It wouldn't do for those opposing agents to have one of your matched set."

Monika had inwardly scolded herself for not considering that.

Alex had merely accepted it as another thing that he had learned. With regard to magic, almost everything that he learned was something relatively new.

Raising the next obvious question, Alex spoke. "What should we do now?"

The inspector looked to Alex, but he spoke to them all. "I want you to remain in the tower, for now. I will see to it that you are each provided with private quarters."

The inspector could tell that Alex was considering a question. He continued. "I understand that only the two rooms will be required. You will be properly attended throughout your stay. However, it remains most important that you do not speak to anyone regarding any of the matters at hand."

"Of course." Forester spoke for all of them.

"Very good." The inspector had returned his various items to his bag, along with the retrieved scroll. "I must start immediately." He stood up from his seat and glanced at each of them. "I will have someone attend to you shortly. In the meantime, please remain here."

The inspector departed the room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

After a short moment, Forester had patted his hands upon the table. He spoke with a crooked grin. "Well, that passed as well as could be expected."

"Better than I expected." Monika commented.

Alex remained unsettled. "But… what now?"

Monika responded. "Now, we wait… again."

"We have haven't lost anything yet." Forester suggested. "In fact, I think we have gained quite a bit."

Alex looked to Forester for clarification.

"Well, think on this." Forester began. "We now know for a fact that the Thalmor agents are after this crown. More than that, they mustn't know exactly where it is."

Alex interrupted. "They are just following us."

"Or others just like us." Forester added.

"We just need to get to it first." Alex settled.

"I doubt it'll be all that easy." Monika commented, looking down at the table.

Both Alex and Forester had looked at her in silence.

Monika looked up to see them both staring. "Well? It won't be." She responded defensively. "Firstly, we have to find the bloody thing. Then we'll probably have to fight off these Thalmor agents to get it back here."

"Well, one thing at a time." Forester rationalised. "However, I am still quite confident that we'll triumph."

"So am I." Alex agreed.

Monika sighed. "Well, I'm hoping you both turn out to be right."

Just then, the door opened again. They had all turned toward the doorway. It was the same agent they had met with earlier. They each stared at him from their seats with expectant expressions.

The agent addressed them. "It seems that I'll be looking after you… until the next move is determined." None of them had responded. "Well, come along. Let's go."

Forester rose from his seat. "Very good, then." He grinned with his usual expression of false cheer. Monika and Alex had also risen and gathered up their equipment.

Alex paused a moment, looking at the agent. "What should we call you?"

The agent looked back with a smirk. "You can call me… Hunter."

Alex continued to look at the agent. "Is that your name?"

The agent left it at that. "Come along. I'll take you to the temporary quarters."

They followed the agent out of the room into the corridor. He led them around the curving corridor and up to the next level above. They followed him further along and up yet another level. He finally stopped at a door with a guard seated outside and directed Forester inside. Hunter advised Forester to speak to the guard if he required anything.

Monika and Alex were led along to the very next door with another guard seated outside. Hunter had also directed them inside before leaving.

* * *

Alex and Monika had both stopped just inside the room they were taken to. They had just stood there and looked about for a lengthy moment.

"This is… is this all for us?" Alex was a little taken aback.

"Apparently." Monika said quietly. "It's not what I expected either. I thought that we'd be going to some sort of guard's barracks… or something like that."

"This is…" Alex was lost for words. He was thinking that it was at least three times the size of the large room at the Merchant's Inn, but that was hardly an adequate description.

Monika commented. "I'd say these rooms are usually used for visiting nobles. They must have decided it's the best way to… to keep us out of the way."

Alex continued to look about the room. It was really more than just a room. There were various items of furniture about the walls. Desks, cupboards and wardrobes of various types. Padded chairs and reclining benches. A large bookshelf with many books. There was a smaller dining table in the space at one side with food and drink upon it. An ornate partition sectioned off a space toward the back with a large fancy looking bed. There were a few paintings hung upon the walls. Some of the rugs upon the stone floor had extraordinary patterns. They might have come from the deserts of Elsweyr or Hammerfell.

Monika had started to unburden herself of her equipment. Alex had idly started to follow her actions. Looking about, the furnishings had seemed just too good to place their equipment upon. They had both elected to neatly pile their belongings in a clear spot by the wall near the door.

Alex had looked more closely at the dining table. He glanced at Monika. "Do you suppose?"

"I expect that they mean to feed us." She responded. "I don't know about you, but I'm a little hungry."

Alex was hungry also. He was ready for breakfast, or lunch, or whatever. It was probably about seven in the morning by that time, but they had been up and about for more than five hours.

They sat down at the table and examined the offerings. The plates looked to be silver or the like. The same with the cups and other items. There were various fruits and sweetbreads layed out. There was a carafe of wine and another with water. Also a dark bottle of Cyrodiilic Brandy. Of course, Alex could only tell what it was because the label was turned toward him.

Monika was firstly drawn to the sweetbreads. Then she had noticed the bottle and picked it up to examine it more closely. "Oh my… Cyrodiilic Brandy." Her eyes widened as she read the label.

Alex had poured himself some water. "It is a little early in the day…"

Monika was sniffing at the cork of the bottle. "Hmm? Yeah. I don't think I'd dare open it anyway. This brandy is nearly twenty years old. It must be worth a fortune."

Monika carefully placed the bottle back upon the table. She considered the wine, but poured some water instead. Alex had decided to try the sweetbread and found it pleasantly different from similar treats that he'd had before. There was a subtle spiciness to it that he could not place. They had both eaten just enough food to sate any immediate hunger. There was still plenty left behind.

Alex had been thinking about things as they sat there quietly. "How long do you think we will be staying here?"

Monika considered for a moment. "I don't really know. I suppose that it depends upon that scroll… for a start. I would suppose that we'll be here at least until tomorrow."

"Yes, I suppose." Alex had thought much the same.

"At least they've picked a nice place to keep us under guard." Monika commented brightly. She rose from her seat to take a better look around.

"Yes, I suppose." Alex agreed idly.

Monika proceeded to wander the space, casually examining the furnishings and other various items in the room. Alex had remained in his seat, only vaguely aware of her activity as he tried to consider what might lie ahead. The things that he didn't yet know about had continued to frustrate him.

Monika had wandered over behind Alex to where the ornate partition had obscured clear view of the fancy bed. "This bed is huge."

"Yes?" Alex had turned to look in her direction to indicate that he was still paying attention, even if only peripherally. From his seated position, he could see Monika and the canopy above the bed, but not the bed itself.

"This looks like fine silk."

"Expensive?"

"I expect so. Can't tell which kind it is… but it's a very fine weave."

Alex had continued to gaze in her direction, but had not responded further.

Monika had crossed the back of the room to another partition over the other side of the room. Alex had not really noticed it before. Nor had he noticed that there was a doorway just behind that second partition.

"Alex." Monika's tone had alarmed him.

Alex had jumped up from his seat to rush toward her.

As he moved, Monika spoke again. "You must see this."

Alex was momentarily aware that he wasn't carrying any weapons. A foolish notion in the circumstance. He then reminded himself that there could hardly be any reason for such a need.

Monika was standing just inside a smaller room behind the back wall. Alex had just arrived behind her to look at what was inside.

"Look at this." She almost purred, turning to glance back at Alex, her amber eyes glistened brightly.

Alex looked past her at what was there. The dominant feature of the room was a huge bathtub. It looked to be made from polished brass, or the like. Over to the left, there was a sizeable boiler with piping that extended to fixtures just above the corner of the tub. Several towelling cloths hung from racks upon the wall by his left shoulder. Over to the right, there were other bathroom facilities obscured by a smaller partition.

"I have not seen anything like that before." Alex had conceded mildly.

"Nor have I." Monika said with a touch of excitement. "Not quite like this." She had reached over to the fixture and rotated the turncock, releasing water into the tub. The water was hot, but not boiling. She dropped the stopper into the drain of the tub and left the water running.

"Uh… do you think?" Alex murmured.

"I think… this is far too good to pass by." Monika's expression reflected that of a child with her very first sweetroll. She quickly pulled off her boots.

"I suppose." Alex looked back behind to the main room.

"It'll be hours before we hear anything." Monika had said.

Alex turned back to Monika. She had started to peel off her leathers.

"Okay, then." Alex said. He turned to leave the bathroom.

Monika had reached out and grabbed the back of his belt, halting his retreat. Alex stopped and turned with an expression of surprise.

"It's big enough for two." Monika grinned mischievously.

Alex returned her smile, somewhat more earnestly. "I suppose it is."

Monika slapped him on the thigh. "Come on then. Get your clothes off."

They had each left their clothing in a pile on the floor and eased into the large tub of warm water. Lying with their heads at either end of the tub, they had both fit into it comfortably enough with some nestled overlap.

Alex and Monika had proceeded to soak together in the warm water for quite a lengthy period of time.

In Alex's estimation, Monika had appeared fully serene. It was as though the warm water was dissolving all her troubles and concerns. It had seemed to Alex that he had not seen her appear quite so fully relaxed for several days. Perhaps, not since Chorrol. Since before that first contract for the Penitus Oculatus.

Despite his best efforts to allow himself to become fully relaxed, Alex had remained a little less so. His mind continued to wander back to the problems that lay ahead.

* * *

Eventually, the water in the bathtub had lost much of its warmth. Alex had noticed it more quickly than Monika and had decided it was time to get out of the tub. Monika was reluctant to leave it behind, but surrendered to the inevitable. She also rose from the tub and pulled the stopper from the drain to release the water.

Alex had quickly dried himself and passed fresh towelling cloths to Monika. He had taken the initiative to go out and retrieve their packs for fresh clothing. Monika had gathered up their leathers to hang them up to air.

Alex had dressed in a fresh shirt and trousers. There was no need to worry about his boots, since they weren't going anywhere soon. Monika had rummaged through her pack and found her light cotton dress. She also figured that they weren't going anywhere, so she might as well remain comfortable.

They had returned to the main room, but the question remained. What to do with the remainder of the day as they waited? It was probably only coming up to nine in the morning. So neither had felt tired enough to need rest.

Monika had stepped over to the bookshelf and began perusing the books. She had hoped to find something of interest.

Alex had taken his cue from that. He had decided to go through the Fighter's Guild book more thoroughly. Retrieving it from his pack, he settled into one of the comfortable seats and tried to find what he had last read.

Monika had selected a book about the history of the Nords of Skyrim and settled into the seat next to Alex.

After a short while, Alex had commented upon something that he was reading in the Guild Charter. "It says here that I am supposed to be able to use and maintain heavy armour."

"Yeah. That used to be the strict rule, before. But it was changed years ago." Monika told him. "Go to the pages near the back of the book. It mentions how those rules have been relaxed. Heavy armour is still recommended, but lighter armours are acceptable for archers and fighters with mage-class skills."

"Oh, okay." Alex flicked through the pages looking for that section.

Monika continued. "It also goes on about weapon, shield and armour requirements and acceptable combinations and recommendations. I still need to train you up with blunt weapons. That's still a requirement."

Alex was a little surprised. Not so much that the Guild might require skills with mace and hammer. It was more that Monika had not yet trained him. Still, he chose not say anything about it just yet.

After a while of picking through the Fighter's Guild book, Alex had decided that he was growing bored with it. Monika had seemed fully interested in the book that she had, so he decided to try and find something from the bookshelf. He eventually settled upon a book about the Oblivion Crisis. He had read some things about it years ago, but it didn't seem at all fresh in his mind. He thought that he might find something interesting in that newer book.

They had both continued to read for the next few hours. Upon occasion, pausing to read out loud something of interest to one another.

* * *

At some time around midday, they had heard a sharp knock at the door. After a brief pause, a familiar face had appeared in the doorway and stepped inside. It was Agent Hunter. Although Hunter had not directly indicated such a distinction, Monika had previously mentioned to Alex that she'd heard that spectres that operated in the field were referred to as agents. She had assumed that applied to Hunter.

"I hope I am not intruding." Hunter had said blandly. It was not clear whether he was being polite, or whether it was really meant as some sort of subtle joke.

Alex didn't respond at all, except to indicate his full attention to the agent's arrival.

Monika asked the obvious question. "Do you have news?"

Hunter had remained as unreadable as his superior. "Some."

Monika and Alex waited with expectant expressions.

Hunter continued. "There has been some success with the translation of the scroll."

"And?" Monika prompted.

"It seems that it does indicate the location of the artefact. However, they are still going over the details and other considerations."

Alex weighed in. "So, when do we go… and where?"

Hunter responded. "As I said, they are still going over it. Only the translator and… the inspector know exactly what it says." He paused. "As I understand it, strategies are being developed and we can expect more details later in the day."

Monika spoke. "So… we won't be going anywhere today, then?

"I wouldn't think so." Hunter confirmed. "I would expect that there will be a formal meeting either tonight or tomorrow." After a pause. "In the meantime, you can expect to remain here. I will return when I have something new to report."

"Alright, then." Monika accepted.

Alex said nothing, but his expression indicated some disappointment at further delay.

Hunter had offered a curt nod and then turned away to leave them, closing the door behind himself as he departed.

"Well, that's something anyway." Monika had said, with a measure of optimism.

"I suppose." Alex accepted. He looked down at his book, not actually reading.

"We should know more later." She reassured.

Alex looked up from his book. "What about Forester?"

"I expect that Forester has been told the same."

Alex accepted with a silent nod.

"We just have to wait." Monika settled.

"I suppose." Alex agreed, though he didn't feel so content.

After a moment, they had both returned to reading their respective books. That had lasted for quite a while before Alex had become increasingly distracted by other thoughts. After having read over the same part of a page several times, he had finally put the book down.

It was a few moments before Monika had noticed that Alex had stopped reading and was just sitting there looking in her general direction. He wasn't really looking at her. He appeared lost in thought.

"What is it?" Monika asked him.

There was a long pause before he responded. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing… or everything…" He paused. "I am just… I just wish we were doing something. Instead of just waiting around."

Monika offered an expression of sympathy. "I know. But there's not much choice…"

After another lengthy pause, Alex had shifted his gaze sharply to look at Monika directly. "What about training with blunt weapons?"

Monika looked back at him strangely. "Not in here." Her tone reflected her incredulity.

"Not full battle training." Alex clarified. "But you could just show me the proper moves and tactics for using a mace."

Monika stared back at him.

"Just the proper moves, then." Alex suggested.

Monika looked about the room for a moment.

"Alright, then." Monika conceded, putting her book aside. "But over there, near the door, where it's fairly clear."

Alex jumped up from his chair with a bounce of enthusiasm. Monika had risen with a little less excitement and led Alex over toward the door.

Monika had looked about briefly and decided to shift an ornate vase to sit upon another cupboard a little further way. She picked up her mace, but kept it to herself for a moment. "Now, don't hit anything."

"Okay." Alex answered, trying not to sound petulant.

Monika handed the mace to Alex. She showed him the proper grip to use. She also demonstrated the difference between blocking and striking. She started him off with stance and balance, which was not all that different from that of a sword. At least for using a lighter mace like that one. She continued to take him through a few of the obvious moves in a slow and measured fashion. She also showed him a few less obvious ones. The shield was brought into the mix to demonstrate the better ways of utilising both together. Given the restrictions of their location, there was only so much that they could go through. There was no way that Monika was going to actually engage in mock combat in that room. That meant just keeping to slow and measured movement to impart understanding, without the opportunity to test it. Nonetheless, it had kept them busy for quite a while.

Worried that Alex might become too bold with the lessons, Monika had eventually called a halt to the limited training. She certainly didn't want him breaking anything in there, however accidental that it might be.

Putting away the weapons, they poured themselves some water and sat back down in the comfortable chairs.

Alex had asked some further questions about the use of the mace. Some of it related to techniques that he had seen Durgash use. In particular, his double back-swing strike. He had also asked about the heavier two-handed weapons of that type. However, Monika had discouraged his interest in those larger kinds of hammers and the like. She had cited several reasons relating to a tendency toward overbalance, reduced blocking opportunities, and so on.

"Besides, you'd need to put on a lot more weight to really handle one of those big hammers properly." She added with a smirk. "I think I prefer your weight just the way it is."

Just then, they were interrupted by a short rhythmic knock upon the door. After a short pause, the door had opened just a little. Monika and Alex had turned to look toward the opening. They had expected to see Agent Hunter. The face peeking through the partially open doorway belonged to Treb.

"Do you mind if I come in?" He spoke as though he thought he might be intruding.

Neither Alex nor Monika said anything. Alex had opened his mouth, but wasn't sure what he should say.

"You know, that's exactly what the guard outside just said." Treb commented, with a mischievous grin. He stepped fully inside and closed the door.

Monika had stood up quickly.

Alex also stood, but a little more slowly. "Uh… Prince Attrebus…" He said awkwardly.

Treb wrinkled his nose. "I thought we already went through all that. It's Treb. At least in private… there's nobody else here." He grinned again.

"Treb." Alex repeated, with only vague conviction.

Treb crossed the room to where they stood, taking each of their hands in turn. "Alex, Monika. It's good to see you both again."

Although Treb had seemed to be trying his level best to put them both at ease, it didn't seem to be working that well.

"Uh… Treb." Alex was still stumbling. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here. At least, that's what they keep telling me." Treb said, joking mildly.

Alex looked about the room.

"Heh-heh, no. They didn't give you my room." Treb was still trying to keep things light.

"We thought you were in Chorrol." Monika suggested.

"Yeah. We didn't stay there all that long." Treb responded "We got back here the night before last.

"I hope that… that Annaïg is well." Monika offered.

"Quite well." Treb assured. "Except in the mornings… sometimes. But that's normal."

Even Alex understood that particular circumstance. Even though he'd never actually been a father, himself.

"I am glad to see that the both of you have made it through well enough… with your current duties." Treb seemed quite sincere in his interest for their welfare.

Monika seemed ill at ease with the comment. Alex had noticed her expression. He also remembered that they were instructed not to speak to anyone. He wondered if that was meant to include the prince.

"I know what you're thinking." Treb suggested. "Don't worry about it. I've already had that discussion with the inspector handling your mission… and my father. The inspectors don't like me poking my nose into their business." He paused just briefly. "The way I see it, their business is my business. One day, it'll be my job to look after the people of the Empire. I can't very well do that… if there is no Empire."

"So, you know about…?" Alex prompted.

"Yeah, I know all about Bravil and the Ayleid artefact… and that scroll that they're looking at." Treb confirmed the broad details. "I am glad that you both made it out okay. I'm also sorry about your comrade. He sounded like a good man."

"He was. Thank you." Alex responded in a sombre tone.

Monika interjected. "The danger hasn't passed yet."

"No. I know." Treb agreed. "I just wish I could actually do more… but…"

"I am confident that we will triumph." Alex sounded just like Forester.

"In the old days, I'd be going with you." Treb lamented. "And I'd bring along a troop of good men and women to support us."

"You have your responsibilities." Monika offered. "And Annaïg…"

"Yeah, I know." Treb accepted. "The best I can do is tell them to make sure that you have proper support when they send you out." He wore a grim smile.

"We do not really know what is happening yet." Alex said. "We are just waiting around to find out."

"No. I don't know either." Treb offered. "They are still sorting out their plans and strategies." He paused to consider. "You're probably going to need more than just the three of you. I also expect that they'll be organising several more obvious distractions. They'll need to try and draw out any of those foreign agents lurking about. With any luck, they'll take the bait."

"Sounds like a good idea." Monika commented.

"I'm sorry that I can't tell you anything more." Treb apologised. "Hopefully, they'll have things sorted soon. Still, I wouldn't be surprised it takes a couple of days before you get to head out again."

Alex seemed disappointed with that idea.

Treb passed another comment. "I had actually wanted to have you both come to have dinner with us upstairs. Annaïg had suggested… but my father will only allow me just so much latitude…"

"We understand." Monika sympathised. "Please, extend our best wishes to Annaïg."

"Yes." Alex agreed.

"I will." Treb affirmed. "I'd like to stay longer… but I can be sure that someone will invent some urgent reason to get me out of here… that is, if I don't leave of my accord."

"I am glad that you came." Alex offered.

"So am I." Treb responded. "I hope to see you both again. If I don't get to see you before you leave… please allow me to wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you." Alex and Monika spoke at the same time.

Treb had returned a wan smile and then turned to leave them. He left through the door more quickly than he had entered.

Monika and Alex had settled back into the comfortable chairs.

After a short pause, Monika had spoken. "We have friends in high places."

"That is a good thing?" Alex prompted.

"Yeah. In this case… I'd say so."

A brief silence passed.

"Another couple of days." Alex was repeating what Treb had suggested.

"Maybe. We don't know yet." Monika countered. "For all we know, we could be heading out tomorrow. We just have to wait and see."

"I suppose." Alex accepted. "I wonder what Forester is doing."

"Probably the same as us. Waiting around." Monika had reached for the book that she had been reading earlier. She tried to find what she had been reading before Alex had pressured her to attend to his training.

Alex had taken the hint. He picked up his own book and tried to resume reading.

* * *

Most of the remainder of the afternoon had passed by the time that another knock was heard at the door. On that occasion, it was the guard from outside. He had opened the door fully and he wheeled in a small cart.

"I'm told that this has come compliments of the prince." The guard said gruffly. He just gave them a short nod and then withdrew back to the corridor outside.

Alex and Monika went to examine the cart. There were three large silver covers and another bottle of Cyrodiilic Brandy with two wide silver cups.

Monika had examined the brandy bottle. "They must really want us to try some of this brandy." She smiled at the prospect.

Alex had lifted the cover from the large plate in the middle. The plate was stacked with spicy bread rolls. Steam was still rising from the rolls, along with an intoxicating aroma of exotic spices. Monika had leaned forward to sample the fragrance.

Alex was still holding that cover as he lifted one of the other covers. Beneath it was a large plate with a grilled fish surrounded by a broad selection of assorted vegetables. Monika had lifted the third cover to find a plate with the same mix of fish and vegetables.

Alex had not thought he was particularly hungry until he had taken in the aromas of the dishes in front of him. Monika's eyes were alight as she considered the offering.

"Friends in high places." Monika said again, with a bright smile.

"Yes." Alex agreed, almost overwhelmed by the call of the food.

"I'd like to meet the cook." Monika commented, as she continued to savour the rich mix of aromas rising from the dishes.

They found somewhere to put the covers and moved the cart over to the table. After making room on the table, they transferred the dishes and sat down to eat.

Shortly after they had started, Monika had paused briefly to consider the Cyrodiiic Brandy. She removed the stopper and savoured the odour before pouring out a cup. Alex was reluctant to drink it, but she had convinced him to at least try just one cup of the brandy.

Though the meal was delicious, it had proved difficult to get through. Alex had eventually come close to finishing most of it. Monika had struggled to arrive even less close to the end of it.

Monika and Alex sat back sipping brandy as they considered what still remained upon their plates. At that time, a sharp knock was heard coming from the door. After a pause, Agent Hunter had again appeared in the doorway.

He paused only briefly in the doorway before entering and closing the door. He had glanced at each of them briefly. Monika and Alex had waited for him to speak first.

"I have some further news." Hunter announced. "Well, it's not much." He paused a moment. "As I said earlier, the scroll has been translated. A plan has been made for the retrieval of the artefact. Several other considerations are already being put into motion. You will attend a meeting tomorrow morning at eight. All the relevant details will be discussed at that time."

"Tomorrow morning at eight." Monika confirmed.

"Yes. Be ready." Hunter advised.

"Will we heading out after that?" Alex asked.

"I couldn't say." Hunter responded. "Treat it as a possibility. You'll find out tomorrow."

"We'll be ready." Monika assured.

"Very well." Hunter settled. "I'll be back in the morning, then." He turned away briskly and departed the room.

After Hunter had left, Monika had turned back to the table. She had tried to pick at something on her plate. The lure of taste was still competing with her sated appetite. "Tomorrow morning, then." She commented.

"Yes." Alex agreed. "I am glad of that."

Monika took another sip of brandy, perhaps to distract herself from the food. "Getting bored with my company already?"

Alex looked up with his mouth open. His eyes indicated that he was searching for the right thing to say.

Monika smiled over her brandy. "I'm only teasing." Ending his brief torture. "I know how you feel. You just want to get back to finishing the job."

Alex relaxed just a little. "Yes… but it is much more that."

"Yeah. It is."

"Everyone is depending upon us."

"Yeah."

"It is not just about us… or gold. Not just Treb and Annaïg. Everyone in the Empire…"

"Yeah, I know." Monika sympathised. "But you can't let all that weigh you down."

Alex didn't respond.

Monika continued. "We just need to worry about what we have to do… and the rest of it will sort itself out." She paused. "Besides, I'm sure we'll have plenty of help to get us through this."

"I suppose." Alex accepted.

Monika got up and retrieved a silver cover, placing it over her plate. "If I eat any more, I'm going to swell up and explode."

Alex nodded his agreement and did the same with his own plate. Also covering the plate with the spicy bread rolls.

"Come on." Monika had topped up her brandy and patted Alex on the arm. "Let's go sit down away from this food."

Alex collected his own brandy without refilling it. He had only had about half of it.

They sat back down in the comfortable chairs with their drinks.

After a moment of silence, Monika had yawned. "I just remembered…" She yawned again. "We have been up since the early hours of the morning."

Alex stifled a reciprocal yawn, considering the bandy in his cup. "We will need to be well rested for the morning."

"Yeah." Monika agreed. "But it's still a bit early." She considered the book she had been reading. "If I go to sleep right now, I'll probably be awake hours before dawn." She flicked through the book to find her place.

Alex had absently nodded his agreement. After a moment, he also picked up his own book and tried to read.

After less than an hour, Monika had noticed Alex was holding his book, but his eyes were closed.

Monika had put down her book. "Alex." She said quietly.

"Yes." He responded with a start, as his eyes snapped open.

She took the book from him. "Maybe we should just go to bed."

"Okay." He mumbled.

As Alex found the will to get up from his chair, Monika had dimmed the main lamps of the room. After visiting the bathroom in turn, they retired to the bedroom area behind the partition. Their clothes were discarded and they climbed into the big bed.

Alex had settled in quickly. However, Monika had turned and shifted restlessly for a short while. After a little more of that, she had pressed herself up against Alex and had begun nuzzling and nipping at his neck.

"Hmm?" Alex murmured.

Monika persisted.

"Thought you were tired." His voice was more of a whisper.

"I am." She replied softly. "Just not tired enough."

After another moment, Alex had responded accordingly, if just a bit lazily. Monika didn't seem to mind, taking control and leaving him to lay back.

Afterward, they had both slept soundly throughout the evening.

~O~


	18. Chapter 18

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 18

Turdas the 27th of Sun's Height 4E48

Alex and Monika had risen just before the dawn. They had slept quite soundly in the large comfortable bed for more than nine hours.

They still had a good three hours before they would be attending the meeting with the senior inspector. There was plenty of time to get dressed in their leathers and check through their equipment. Alex had even taken the time to have a proper shave.

As they were waiting, they had tried some of the spicy bread rolls with some water. The rolls actually still tasted just as good as when they were hot.

They were sitting ready and waiting, when they had finally heard a short knock upon the door. After a pause, Hunter had appeared in the opened doorway.

"Less than half an hour." Hunter announced. "Are you ready?"

"We're ready to go." Monika confirmed.

Hunter remained in the doorway as Monika and Alex had quickly gathered up their equipment to leave the room.

As Monika and Alex stepped out of the room into the corridor, they found Forester standing by to one side of the door. Alex had wondered why his enchanted ring had not vibrated. Then he had figured that Forester could not have been more than twenty odd paces away from them for the whole time that they were there.

"Good morning to you." Forester greeted them casually.

"And to you." Monika responded.

Alex had nodded pleasantly.

Hunter had then led them along the corridor and back down the two levels to the room where they had previously met with the inspector. The agent left them inside, advising them that he would inform the inspector of their arrival.

* * *

They had each dropped their equipment to the floor and took seats about the table.

"I trust that everyone is well rested." Forester had commented, grinning through his neatly cropped beard.

"We're good." Monika responded.

"Yes." Alex chimed in.

"I cannot recall such grand accommodations." Forester suggested. "Not even the Tiber Septim Hotel could compare."

"Yeah." Monika agreed.

"I was even presented with a grand meal, compliments of the Imperial Prince himself." Forester had boasted.

"Treb sent you a meal too?" Alex asked.

Forester had slowly looked up at Alex, then he stared at him with an expression of surprise. "You know Prince Attrebus?"

"Well… uh, yes. A little." Alex offered.

"And the lady Annaïg, of course." Monika had decided take full advantage. "We had dinner with them just a few days ago."

Forester seemed a little less pompous than usual. "Well… then. Very good. I would expect… well, that's good."

Monika was trying to suppress a smirk.

Alex offered more. "Treb told us that he would make sure that we had proper support when they send us out again." He paused. "But… we should probably avoid mentioning that to the inspector. They do not like it when Treb gets involved, or so he says…"

Forester stared for another moment. "Well… of course. Not a word."

Monika was still doing her best to suppress a smile as she watched Forester.

At just that moment, they had heard footsteps outside the door. The door opened and the older inspector had entered. Agent Hunter had followed him inside and closed the door.

The inspector had cast a cursory glance toward the three of them and nodded, before shifting toward the seat across the table.

"Thank you all for being here." The inspector spoke wearily, as he sat down. He reached into his bag. "Allow me a moment." He had laid out his various items upon the table. Aside from the usual items, he also had a few scrolls.

Hunter had taken a position leaning against the wall near the table.

"Very well." The inspector had indicated that was he ready. "Firstly, this agent… Hunter… will be joining you for the next stage in your mission. He will serve to replace the man we have lost." He paused. "There will be several others involved, but you four will serve as the core group." He allowed a moment for that information to be absorbed.

"Very good." Forester interjected, indicating agreement.

Monika and Alex had merely offered short nods of acceptance.

The inspector resumed. "As Hunter has already informed you, the scroll has been successfully translated. As expected, it indicates the location of the Ayleid artefact." He paused just briefly. "Now, there are other strategies and activities of distraction that are currently being implemented. However, none of those involved in those more peripheral activities will know exactly what you are doing, or where you are going. Only those of you going after the artefact will know of its specific location."

The inspector seemed to pause for a longer moment.

Monika broke the silence. "Just us, then?" She sought confirmation.

The inspector clarified. "The four of you and those providing direct support."

Monika's expression indicated a further question.

"Arrangements have been made to have a standard Legion Patrol intersect with your arrival at the location." The inspected paused. "That particular patrol will be replaced by two of my agents. They will know only where to meet you. That is all. Their orders are to take instruction from you. The six of you will enter the location together."

"Understood." Forester confirmed.

"There will be just one other." The inspector advised. "An agent will be posted with troops investigating a misleading location not far from your actual destination. At the proper signal, those troops will be mobilised to provide assistance with the return journey." He paused to allow that information to settle.

"Very good." Forester accepted.

Alex interrupted the prolonged pause. "So, where will we be going."

The inspector glanced at Alex only briefly. He unfurled one of the scrolls. It was a map of the local area that included all of the Lake Rumare area, extending to just beyond The Red Ring Road in each direction. Of course, the Imperial City was at the centre of the map. With his finger, he drew attention to the smaller island located east of the Imperial City. It was not far from the eastern shore of the lake. The Red Ring Road also drew close to the shoreline at that location.

"Wellspring Grove Island." The inspector stated.

Hunter had shifted to look more closely. Alex also leaned forward to examine the map more closely. Of course, he was the least familiar with the area.

Monika spoke. "That's not far. But isn't it restricted?"

Forester interrupted. "There's a magical barrier."

The inspector waited a moment before proceeding. "Yes. To all of that. Access to the island is restricted and controlled by the Synod. Arrangements have been made. A sustained magical barrier surrounds the island. It cannot be breached by any attempt to scale the cliffs."

The inspector drew attention to another location on the map. He pointed to the marking upon the eastern shore of the lake, located near the island. "Wellspring Cave. That is the only point of access to the grove. A tunnel runs beneath the water and arises inside the barrier on the island." He traced a short path with his finger.

Forester commented. "The cave itself is also protected." He already knew that to be the case, but also knew that the method was periodically varied. He was not in any position to know of current details.

"Hmm, yes." The inspector confirmed. He unfurled a second map. It illustrated the layout of the tunnels and caves. "At this time, the passage from the cave entrance is defended by a Synod Necromancer. The underground areas are guarded by harnessed undead."

Monika had released a breath and sat back a little. Neither Forester nor Hunter indicated any outward reaction.

Alex was still considering what the inspector had meant. "Like… like Draugr?" Alex had never actually seen one before, but he had heard stories of the restless undead Draugr that roamed the burial chambers and ancient ruins of Skyrim. There was supposed to be a place like that just north of Falkreath.

The inspector had considered Alex briefly. He seemed to recall having heard that word before. "Yes. Something like that. Magically reanimated dead, bound in service to the Necromancer." The inspector had lifted a satchel from his bag and placed it on the table to one side. "These enchanted amulets will be needed to gain access to the tunnels. Each one has been tuned by the Necromancer. The undead will not restrict your passage as long as it remains upon your person."

"Understood." Forester affirmed, before anyone else said anything.

Monika had wondered to herself how such things could have been acquired at such short notice. However, she didn't have the opportunity to ask aloud.

The inspector drew attention back to the map of the underground area. He had pointed out the long passage that led downward to the first larger chamber. From there, the next passage of the tunnel led even further downward beneath the lake. It eventually led to a much larger chamber not that far from the island. He advised that the Synod Necromancer should be found there in the space set up with living quarters. He traced the map further to indicate the correct tunnel that led from the large chamber and then continued upward toward the island. The inspector allowed a few moments for the map to be examined.

Another map was then unfurled and laid upon the table. It was a map of Wellspring Grove Island. The map illustrated the location of the tunnel exit and the general terrain of the island. There were some squared-off objects marked in the middle of the island and some other marks only recently added.

The inspector explained. "From the tunnel exit here." He paused to indicate. "The stone curing chest can be seen over here." He indicated the marking near the middle of the island. "If you proceed to this point and look directly westward toward the city, you will see six stones of various sizes amongst the trees of the grove." He indicated the recently added markings on the map. "It is indicated from the retrieved scroll, that the nearest stone in that group should be smaller than the largest stones. It should be loose enough to move. Dig out the dirt beneath that stone. The Ayleid artefact should be buried in a shallow cavity."

The inspector allowed a few moments for the information to be fully absorbed.

Forester spoke first. "Are there any other… protective measures… or other considerations indicated?"

"Nothing else is indicated." The inspector advised. "The difficulty of accessing the location appears to be the main measure of protection."

"Once we have the crown?" Monika prompted.

The inspector had produced yet another item from his bag. "This horn has been imbued with a specific enchantment." He had held up a rather ordinary looking calling horn. "A call from this horn will directly alert the agent stationed nearby. That agent will arrive with support troops to escort you from the Wellspring Cave entry point. A naval vessel will be diverted to the eastern side of the lake. You will board that vessel for direct return to the city."

A moment passed as those details were considered.

"It seems to be well planned out." Forester digested.

Monika had considered another question. "What about… what about these other planned distractions?"

"Hmph, yes." The inspector cleared his throat. "A number of other activities have been organised as distraction. More than ten in total. Several abandoned forts and other ruins are to be investigated by various teams. Some will be Fighter's Guild. Some will be Legion troops. Some will be mixed. Only one of those operations will be nearby to your destination. Your mission will be affected only indirectly."

Monika had waited for clarity. Alex and Forester also seemed anxious for more.

The inspector resumed. "Only the timetable will be affected. Mobilising these additional preparations will require a short delay. The mission will be delayed for two days, and then proceed upon the third day."

Alex resisted any outward display of his agitation with regard to further delay.

The inspector continued to outline the requirements in accordance with the planned timetable. Forester, Monika and Alex would appeared to be dismissed. They were advised to remain in the Imperial City for the day and also to remain in public. He recommended that Monika and Alex return to the Merchant's Inn for the evening. He advised Forester to seek accommodation in the Elven Gardens District as he usually would.

The inspector then outlined general plans for the second day. He indicated that they should plan to also spend most of Fredas in the city.

He advised Monika and Alex to find public activities to pass the earlier part of the day and then return to the Wawnet Inn at Weye during the latter part of the afternoon. Visiting Monika's friend and staying the night would serve to maintain appearances. If the matter should arise, they should indicate the intention of returning to Chorrol.

Forester was advised to remain within the city following his normal routine of activities until the early hours of Loredas. He was instructed to time his departure so that he could arrive at the northern fishing dock located behind Weye by seven in the morning.

At that time, they should all meet at that dock. From that location, they would take a small fishing boat and sail around the lake to their destination. It was estimated that they should be able to reach Wellspring Cave no later than midday. They would meet with the two agents posing as Legion soldiers near that location. With the enchanted amulets, they would proceed with the mission as already outlined.

A few questions were posed to clarify minor points. In response to the query, the inspector advised that the Necromancer would have no prior knowledge of their arrival. The risk of any communication being intercepted was far too great. The enchanted amulets would serve to validate their presence. The amulets could only have been acquired from the Synod. Once matters were fully settled, the inspector had concluded the meeting. The inspector gathered up his own items, wished them all luck and then departed.

Hunter had taken possession of the enchanted calling horn and the two spare amulets. Each of the others had taken an amulet to keep upon their persons.

Forester was the first of the group to leave. After a curt farewell, a guard had escorted him from the tower.

The rest had waited a short while after Forester had left. Alex had tried to engage Hunter in relevant conversation. He had asked about Hunter's general combat skills. Hunter was not particularly talkative. The only things that he revealed was that he was skilled in both armed and unarmed combat, and that Forester would cover any magical requirements.

It was not that long before Hunter had escorted Monika and Alex down to the exit.

* * *

Alex and Monika had emerged from the doors of the White-Gold Tower into bright mid-morning sunlight. The daylight had probably seemed all the more harsh since they had not been outside for more than a full day. The full threat of a warm summer day was already fully evident. There was a distinct steaminess to the air, indicating that the rain must have continued during the previous day. Not that they had been able to tell from within the thick walls of the imperial tower.

It had seemed far too early to seek accommodations at the Merchant Inn. Monika had suggested that they take a walk around the longer way via the Arboretum District. Alex had no objection. Accordingly, they had circled around to the south-eastern side of The Green Emperor Way, passing through the gated doors to the Arboretum area.

They had wandered through the arboretum at a casual pace. There was only the barest hint of a light breeze. The shade from some of the trees offered a brief respite from the rising heat.

Monika had steered their path toward the north-eastern wall and the gated doors that led into the Arena District. They passed through into the open area of that district. Momentary distraction was provided by two unarmed opponents sparing beneath the only outdoor cover of the southern side of that district. A small crowd was already watching. There was no more room in the shaded area and it seemed far too warm to stand about in the sun. The roar of the rowdy crowds within the structure of the arena could be heard, serving to remind of its purpose. Alex and Monika continued across the open space toward the Market District.

The main street of the Market District had seemed almost as crowded and busy as any other day. The heat of the day had hardly seemed to have much affect upon normal activity of the marketplace.

Monika had drawn attention to the blacksmith and weapons store just next to the Merchant's Inn. She had reminded Alex of the minor damage to the edge of his sword. It had apparently been damaged during the combat at the tower near Bravil. He had only noticed earlier that morning when he was checking his equipment.

They entered the store and spoke to the man at the front counter. The balding Redguard smith examined Alex's sword with a look of disapproval. After a moment, he advised that he could dress the edge of the blade and restore its condition. He asked them to leave the sword with him for an hour or so. The price for his labour sounded fair enough.

* * *

Alex and Monika returned to the main street of the Market District. They had glanced over at the crowds milling about the various street vendors under the hot summer sun. The thin shadow cast from the high covering roof above only barely accommodated some of the open stalls. There was no shade for the customers.

"We could go get something to eat." Monika had suggested.

Alex wasn't all that hungry, but agreed anyway. "Okay. Maybe just something light."

"Yeah." Monika responded distractedly as she continued to look about.

"It looks crowded." Alex had commented. "What about that place over there?" He indicated the place across the street. The sign identified it as The Feed Bag.

Monika wrinkled her nose. "Uh…"

"It is out of the sun." Alex suggested. The heavy beads of moisture about his temples indicated that he was feeling the heat a little more than Monika.

"Yeah, okay then." Monika conceded. She didn't sound all that enthusiastic.

Monika and Alex headed over to The Feed Bag and went inside. It actually seemed observably cooler inside the stone building, though not greatly so. There were quite a few people in the place, but not so crowded that there were no free tables. Alex and Monika purchased some food and drink and found a table. Some of the people had left and then been replaced by others as they sat at the table. After they had finished their food and drink, they had waited for a little while longer.

Monika had mentioned that she wanted to visit the alchemist store after they had retrieved Alex's sword. Alex had commented that he thought that they were already well stocked with potions, but Monika wanted to maintain that stock. Alex had just accepted her judgement.

* * *

Once the best part of the hour had passed, Alex and Monika had left The Feed Bag to return to the blacksmith. As they entered the store, the Redguard was still working on the sword. Accordingly, they had to wait a little longer.

Leaving that store behind, Alex and Monika headed up the street to the alchemist store situated behind the open street vendors. It was again immediately cooler inside that shop.

Alex had stood back as Monika had ordered a few potions. She had replaced some used healing potions and an endurance potion. She also ordered some other potions that Alex did not recognise. He thought that he heard the word, 'resistance'. He did note that she acquired another small vial of that purple liquid that he had seen her sip upon occasion. Although she had not spoken of it, he had concluded that it must have been some sort of potion that kept her from falling pregnant.

Monika and Alex left the alchemist store behind and headed back onto the streets of the marketplace. By that time, it was at least an hour and a half past noon. The heat of the day must have reached its apex. At least, that was Alex was hoping. The barest hint of a breeze had tried to blow down the main street, but it hardly made a difference.

They had stood briefly by the statue of a previous emperor. It didn't cast any useable shade from the sun. Even the pigeons of the marketplace had crammed themselves into the shaded crevices about the ledges of the stone buildings.

Alex had considered the irony of the current circumstance. He had wanted to get out of the Imperial Tower and get on with things. However, now that he was out of the tower, there was nothing to do just yet. More than that, it seemed too hot to do anything.

"What now?" Alex asked. He was hoping for another reason to get out of the sun.

Monika was probably thinking much the same. "There's a book shop up that side street." Monika indicated the direction.

Alex looked at her oddly.

"It's better than standing around out here." Monika offered.

"Okay." Alex accepted.

* * *

Monika and Alex made their way down the main street and then into the side street that ran along beside the Merchant's Inn. The door to the bookstore was located about half way down the street. It was effectively adjacent to the back wall of the inn.

As before, it was a little cooler inside. There were just a few patrons in the store. A younger Breton woman with auburn hair and fair skin stood behind the counter. There was someone else shuffling about in the back area, tending to other matters.

Monika and Alex had been content to browse the accessible bookshelves and wait for the other customers. Monika had appeared as though she was looking for something in particular. Alex had just been browsing to pass the time.

Just as Monika had gained the opportunity to speak with the woman behind the counter, Alex had spotted something of passing interest. He found a section of a shelf that seemed dedicated to books about Treb. There appeared to be several different ones. Each of them with seemingly grandiose titles.

Alex had heard Monika inquiring about books relating to ancient Skyrim. He had noted that she had selected similar things when they were staying in the Imperial Tower. He could only think of a few reasons for it. He chose to leave the matter aside.

Alex had selected a book from the shelf. The title of the book read, 'In the Footsteps of the Father: the Story of Prince Attrebus'. The date inside indicated that it was fairly recent. It didn't seem all that thick as some of the other books. He was curious as to how Treb was portrayed in the book. Alex decided that he might as well purchase a copy.

Alex had brought the book over to the counter. Monika was looking through a small pile of books to see if any of them might be something that caught her attention.

Alex had paid for the book that he had chosen. It cost far less than he might have expected. He waited a while as Monika continued to sort through the pile. She eventually settled upon one of the books. That one had cost her far more than Alex had spent.

After concluding business in the book store, they had reluctantly returned to the streets of the Market District. It was still just as hot outside. Alex seemed convinced that even the warmest days of Sun's Height were never that hot in Skyrim. He had decided that all the stone and paving of the city probably made it seem worse.

It was probably not yet near to mid-afternoon. Alex was eyeing the scant shadow that had appeared by the edge of the building across the street.

"I know it's still early." Monika spoke up. "But why don't we go see if we can get a room at the Merchant's Inn?"

Alex had no argument with that idea. "That sounds good."

"Yeah, lets go." Monika confirmed.

* * *

Alex and Monika headed off around the corner and into the Merchant's Inn. There was only a light smattering of customers inside. That was a good thing. It meant less accumulated heat inside. A couple of city guards were just leaving as they entered. The guards were probably just finishing a break.

Behind the bar, was the same man who had served them the other day. He seemed to recognise Alex and Monika. When they had asked for a room, he told them that could have the same room again, provided that they could wait for another half-hour. They paid the innkeeper to secure the room and ordered drinks. They sat down at an empty table to wait.

Alex had decided to peruse the book that he had purchased. Monika did the same.

After several moments, Alex had commented. "It does not seem as though this writer has ever spoken with Treb."

Monika had looked up. She continued to look at Alex oddly for a moment.

"What?" Alex sensed a question.

Monika responded. "I was just thinking… about the way you talk." She had been resisting making any such comment for quite some time.

It was Alex's turn to look back oddly.

Monika continued. "You're accent is Nord, but…" She hesitated briefly, then decided to go on. "Well, it's the way to say things. Unusually formal. You always say, 'does not', instead of 'doesn't'… and things like that."

Alex looked a little surprised. Then his expression relaxed. "I suppose that I do."

Monika looked back with raised eyebrows, indicating she was expecting more.

Alex responded. "Well, I suppose that would be from my grandmother… Illiana. She was originally from Cyrodiil."

She already knew that and it didn't really seem to satisfy Monika's question at all. Especially since most people she knew didn't really talk like that. Whether Nord or otherwise.

Alex continued. "She was the one who taught me how to read and write when I was just a boy. I think that she used to teach before she married grandfather Erik. She was always very clear and precise. That is how she spoke. I was brought up to speak just the same. It was the same with my mother." Alex paused to chuckle.

"What?" Monika asked.

Alex responded. "I was just recalling how grandmother Illiana used to harass the farmhands over how they spoke. Not that it made much difference." He chuckled again. "I can also remember when she used to chastise grandfather as well. I am fairly certain that he would do it on purpose." Alex continued to smile as he reminisced.

Monika returned his smile. She started thinking about her parents and her own childhood days.

They sat there quietly for a little longer, casually perusing their books. After a short while, a younger Imperial girl had come down the stairs with a broom and a bucket of cleaning items. The innkeeper had then informed them that their room was ready.

Monika and Alex went upstairs to the room. They proceeded to stash their equipment and valuables. Since there was no need for their armour, they changed into casual clothing and hung up their leathers to air.

Before they had settled, Alex had just thought of something that he had meant to ask about. "What were those other potions that we bought?"

"Oh, yeah." Monika responded. "I forgot about that." She reached into her pack to retrieve some vials. She handed over four of them to Alex.

"What are these?" Alex asked.

"A healing potion and an endurance potion. To replace the ones you used."

Alex had recognised those two from the colour and markings. He was trying to read the script on the other two identical vials. "And these other two?"

"Resistance to paralysis. High potency."

Alex looked to Monika for more clarity.

Monika responded. "Well, after what happened before with that mage… well, I think we should carry these. You should keep it handy when we go to the grove. But don't take it unless we know to expect danger. Well, that kind of danger."

Alex still looked uncertain.

Monika continued. "It only lasts a short while, but it can really help to resist paralysis spells. It can make the difference between being just staggered… or ending up on the ground… like Forester."

Alex considered Monika's words as he looked at the vials. "Okay, then." He agreed without further question. Still, he wondered to himself how he would know when to expect that kind of unexpected attack.

With plenty of time on their hands, Monika and Alex had settled down upon the bed to read the books that they purchased.

After a short while, Alex had huffed and tutted a number of times as he read passages from the book about Prince Attrebus. Eventually, he was moved to comment aloud. "I still do not believe that the writer of this book has ever spoken with Treb… not even once."

Monika did not respond verbally, only glancing up just briefly to indicate that she had heard him speak.

After another moment, Alex had commented again. "Most of this reads like… like some sort of report from a city guard… or something like that. Just dressed up with… with a bit of flavouring to make him seem more… more like a legend, than the man that he really is." Alex shook his head.

Still looking down at her own book, Monika responded idly. "You probably shouldn't expect anything different. That's how they usually write those kind of things."

Alex shook his head again and flicked further forward through the book.

A few moments later, Monika had spoken up. "Alex?" She frowned as she read over some passages in her own book.

"Yes?" Alex responded vaguely, after just a short pause.

"Have you ever heard of these… ancient Dragon Priests?"

Alex looked to Monika. "Do you mean those monks… the ones up on the mountain?"

"Ah… no. From ANCIENT times…"

Alex frowned in thought. "Oh. You mean… you mean something about the first Nords of Skyrim. Back before the first era. I think that the old legends say that the Dragon Priests ruled over the people for a time. Until they were overthrown by the people. I do not really know much more than that."

"Hmm." Monika mused, perusing her book. "It says here that the Dragon Priests were servants of the ancient dragons. It says that the dragons had trained them in the use of the dragon's tongue… and how to harness that power…"

"Okay." Alex accepted. "But all of that would just be taken from legend."

Monika looked up at Alex. "There's obviously something more to the legends. Your ability… and your grandfather's…"

"Something." Alex granted. He looked back down to his book.

"I wonder if maybe one of your distant forefathers…" Monika suggested.

"I suppose." Alex glanced up only briefly. "There is probably no way to know."

"Yeah. You're probably right." Monika settled.

They both returned to reading their respective books in relative silence.

* * *

It was quite late in the afternoon, on the cusp of evening, when Monika and Alex decided to go down to the tavern area for a meal. They ordered their meals and drinks and took them to one of the tables. It was not particularly crowded when they started, but the room was starting to fill up with patrons by the time they had finished.

With perhaps just a few exceptions, most of the faces of the tavern were relatively unfamiliar. Only a few stood out. The woman from the alchemist store had arrived with a male friend. A few of the city guards seemed vaguely familiar. Otherwise, there was nobody that they really knew. Still, it was reasonable to presume that somebody in there was probably Penitus Oculatus.

After a short while, Alex and Monika had each attended the downstairs bathrooms to wash away the sweat from earlier in the day and attend to other matters. Afterward, they had retired to their upstairs room.

Back in the room, Alex had pulled up a chair and then sat back in thought with a full belly. He had paused to again think about things for a few moments.

Monika had started going through the content of her pack. She had selected clothing to wear for the following day. Changing her mind, she then put it back into the pack and selected something different and hung it out to air.

"At least it's finally a bit cooler." Monika had commented.

"A little bit." Alex conceded.

Monika proceeded to rearrange the content of her pack.

Alex continued to sit quietly.

Monika spoke again after a few moments. "You're quiet."

Alex took a moment to respond. "Hmm?" He noticed Monika was looking at him.

"What is it?" Monika asked.

"Just thinking." Alex mumbled.

"About?"

"We still have another whole day to wait."

"Don't worry about it. It'll be fine." Monika was looking directly at Alex, but he was staring idly at the floor.

Alex looked up briefly. "What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"Well, we'll head off back to the Wawnet Inn in the afternoon."

"What about the morning?"

"I'm sure we'll find something to do."

"I suppose." Alex accepted without enthusiasm. He returned his gaze toward the floor.

Monika crossed the room to where Alex was sitting. She placed her hand upon his face. Cupping his chin, she directed his gaze up to meet her eyes. "Hey. It'll be fine."

After a pause, Monika continued. "We should just relax and enjoy the free time while it lasts. Come Loredas morning, there'll more than enough to worry about."

Alex's expression indicated acceptance, but he didn't say anything.

"Okay?" Monika prompted.

"Okay." Alex agreed. He sounded compliant, if not convinced.

Monika pulled him up from his seat. She fidgeted with the material of Alex's shirt. "If you still think it's too warm, then why are you wearing this shirt?"

"It is not all that bad now." Alex responded.

"You could at least loosen these." Monika started to release to the buttons of his shirt.

"I suppose." Alex said quietly.

Monika proceeded to release the rest of the buttons and pulled his shirt open. She ran her hand across his abdomen. "You do feel warm."

Alex's expression became a pursed smile. "That does feel better."

Monika had leaned forward to press gently against him. She kissed him upon the cheek. "I think." She started to pull at his shirt. "You should just take it off."

Alex allowed her to fully remove his shirt.

Monika pressed up against him again and nibbled at his neck. "In fact." Another nibble. "I think… we should just take it all off."

In fairly short order, they were both undressed and had moved to the bed. Alex was suitably distracted from other thoughts for a good while. Monika had seen to it that the momentum was maintained through the lull to provide for more than just a single diversion.

Some time later, the tides of passion had eventually subsided; leaving the two of them washed up upon the comfortable shores of sleepiness. In the aftermath, restful sleep came easy enough to both of them.

~O~


	19. Chapter 19

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 19

Fredas the 28th of Sun's Height 4E48

Alex had stirred with the dawn. After a few moments, he had got up from the bed and made use of the chamber pot. Monika had been disturbed by the activity, but she chose to pretend that she was still sleeping.

Only once Alex had failed to return directly to the bed, had Monika spoken up. "Hmm… c'm back to bed." She slurred.

Alex did not say anything, but nor did he immediately return.

Monika peered out through squinted eyes. "Is too early." She complained. "C'm back." She waved her hand limply to call him back.

Alex silently padded back to the bed and climbed back in. He didn't really feel like going back to sleep, but had lay back down anyway. Monika had draped herself across his chest and legs in a comfortable fashion.

"Is no rush." Monika whispered. "Can just… lie in… a while."

"Okay." Alex accepted softly.

Monika had seemed to drift in and out of light sleep. Alex had continued to just lie there quietly. Resting, but not actually sleeping.

Eventually, Monika had woken. However, she continued to lay half way across Alex in a comfortable position for a while longer. It would have been past eight by that time. They would normally be up and about by then.

Monika finally spoke again. "I'm thirsty." Her voice sounded just a little hoarse.

"I have water, right here." Alex reached over to the bedside table and passed the flask to Monika.

Monika had shifted position and took a few sips of water, then passed the flask back to Alex. He took a few sips before putting it aside.

"I suppose… we should get up." Monika lamented. She still sounded lazy as she spoke. Despite her assertion, she had still not moved.

"It is a little late." Alex commented.

"Yeah." Monika finally shifted. She patted Alex on the arm. "Come on, then. Let's get up." She rolled away from Alex to a sitting position with her legs dangling over the far edge of the bed.

Alex had directed a look of affected surprise toward the back of her head. He was thinking that he had been fully ready to rise for quite some time, but said nothing.

Monika had stretched and then finally stood. She looked about for her clothing. She found that Alex had collected them from the floor and left them neatly folded upon the chest. She smiled quietly to herself. Then she remembered that she had intended to wear something different. She packed those clothes away.

Alex had risen and was already getting dressed. "What should we do this morning?"

"Hmm?" Monika responded idly, as she started to dress. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

"We have not yet been to the Arcane University." Alex suggested.

Monika turned to face Alex as she started to button her shirt. "We haven't been through the Imperial Prison either." She wore a little smirk upon her face.

Alex just rolled his eyes.

"Or inside the Arena." Monika added.

Alex presented the appearance of mock annoyance, still not saying anything.

"Alright. The Arcane University." Monika grinned. She sat down to put on her sandals.

"It will not be too early to get in?" Alex prompted.

"Not by the time we get over there."

"Good." Alex grunted. He was fully dressed. He started to gather up his belongings in preparation to head out.

Monika had fidgeted with adjusting her clothing. She was wearing a medium length skirt that Alex had not seen before. He also noticed that the shirt that she wore was rather tight fitting. It seemed to make her breasts seem more rounded and prominent. Alex had just considered that it had something to do with their intent to visit the Wawnet Inn later in the day. More to the point, that it had something to do with Julia. That notion had only just come to him as he thought about the last time that they were there.

Once they were both fully ready, Alex and Monika left their room at the inn behind.

* * *

The usual morning activity upon the streets of the marketplace was fully evident as Monika and Alex left the Merchant's Inn. The street vendors were engaged in the usual level of morning trade. The same broad mix of people moved through the streets. Aside from three children making a mad dash down the street toward the Elven Gardens District, everything else appeared fairly typical.

Monika and Alex stood briefly in the shortening shadow by the front of the Merchant's Inn. Although it was a warm morning, it seemed a far cooler day than the one before.

Alex was grateful of the milder temperature. "Do you think it will be as hot as yesterday?"

"It doesn't seem that way." Monika looked up to the sky. Some light wispy clouds could be seen moving slowly across the blue sky. Not the kind that generally brought any rain, but hinted at the promise of light winds.

Alex continued to look about the streets of the marketplace. "Will we need anything else for our supplies?" He couldn't really think of anything, but thought that he should ask.

Monika considered only momentarily. "No. I don't think so." After a pause. "Ready to head off?"

"Okay. Which way?"

Monika tilted her head to the right, in the direction of the Arena District. "Might as well go this way."

"Okay." Alex shifted to face toward that direction and they headed off at a leisurely pace.

The open space of the Arena District seemed relatively quite compared to the marketplace. The arena had only opened for the day just a short time before. A few people were heading into the entrance of the arena. Aside from a couple of city guards chatting by the gates to the central district, there were just a few other people in the open space.

After they had passed the arena and reached the far side of the grounds, Alex had turned to Monika. He spoke fairly quietly. "Do you think that there are spies watching us?"

Monika slowed her pace and then stopped. Alex also stopped. "Watching us?" She spoke just as quietly. "We know that… that the spectres are watching."

Alex clarified. "No. I mean… other spies."

Monika casually took Alex's hand. She led him slowly toward the statue of Queen Alessia. Her manner had shifted to give the appearance of a couple taking in the sights. Monika had looked up at the statue as she spoke. "With everything that's going on, I really wouldn't be surprised." She paused. "But there's probably no way to know."

Alex was also looking at the statue. "Would they not be Altmer?"

"Maybe." Monika considered. "There're plenty of Altmer in the city. It wouldn't be that hard for them to blend in. Could just as easily be Bosmer from Valenwood."

"I suppose." Alex accepted.

"For that matter, there are any number of shifty types that are willing to do just about anything for gold. They might not even know who they're working for. Or might not care."

Alex nodded slowly as he considered Monika's words.

Monika took Alex's arm and turned from the statue. They slowly headed toward the gated doors to the Arboretum District.

"There's nothing we can do about that." Monika suggested. "We should just go about our business. Hopefully, everything goes as planned."

"I suppose." Alex agreed.

They passed through the doors to the arboretum area. A few people wandered the open space. It was not particularly crowded. Although he tried not to stare, Alex found himself considering a passing Bosmer woman with increased suspicion.

Monika and Alex made their way toward the gated doors in the southern curve of the city walls that led to the Arcane University.

Alex had thought that the doors would lead directly to the university. However, he found that they were suddenly outside the city walls. Some trees and shrubs stood at either side of the path. Immediately ahead, there was a stone bridge that crossed a deep gully. The length of that bridge seemed longer than Alex might have expected. Especially since he had been thinking that the university was directly connected to the city walls. The Arcane University was situated across the other side of the bridge.

From the outside, the structure that housed the university looked like a smaller circular fortress. Certainly much larger than the old forts that were scattered through the countryside of Cyrodiil, but dwarfed by the size of the Imperial City. Alex had estimated that the circular structure must have been at least half the size of one of the city districts. The outer stone walls were tall, but perhaps only half the height of the city walls. Rising from the centre of the area was a round tower with a pointed tiled roof. It seemed that it could have been no more than a third of the height of the White-Gold Tower, or possibly a bit less than that.

As Monika and Alex crossed over the bridge, the Imperial Waterfront District could be seen in the distance down the hillside over to the right. Monika had made a point of directing Alex's attention in that particular direction as a hooded mage rushed by headed for the university. The actual reason remained unspoken. In the opposite direction, an island covered with trees could be seen over by the eastern side of the lake. Monika thought it better that Alex didn't ask about it.

Just ahead, a few more trees stood by the outside of the walls of the Arcane University. Monika and Alex climbed the short set of stone steps near the southern side of the bridge and passed through the gated doors in the outer wall.

Inside the university grounds, the stone steps descended to the ground below. The level of that ground was set far lower than the land outside the walls. The first things to catch Alex's eyes were the strange flames immediately ahead. There were four open cauldrons made from stone in the space between the outer wall and the platform about the base of the tower. Two of those cauldrons were at the base of the stairs by the outer wall. One on either side. Another two at the base of the stairs that led up to the university tower. The flames rising from the cauldrons burned with a strange purple colouring. There was no indication of any oil or other kind of fuel. The flames just appeared to arise from the stone.

"What are these?" Alex asked about the flames as they descended the stairs.

"I don't really know." Monika conceded. "I think that they have something to do with some sort of permanent protection spells… or detection spells… or something like that."

Alex didn't say anything. He continued to look at the purple flames as he passed by the one to his left. At the closest point, a long wispy tongue of flame had flicked out and brushed across the back of Alex's left hand. He reflexively withdrew his hand and leapt forward away from the flames.

Alex's unexpected movement had startled Monika. "What is it?"

Alex was staring at the flames from a safer distance. "That… that flame. It jumped out at my hand." Alex was rubbing his left hand with his right.

Monika looked on with some concern. "Are you alright?"

Alex looked at his hand with some confusion. "Yes. It… it did not burn. I think… I think the fire was actually cold. How can that be?"

Monika was looking at the flame. She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it is magic… but I don't really know. I've never seen it do that before."

Monika waved her hand near to the purple flame. It didn't seem to react at all. Alex was giving the cauldron a wide berth.

Monika shrugged again. "Maybe, it just likes you." She grinned lightly.

Monika moved away from the cauldron and spun Alex about to face the grounds outside the university area. A section of the circular space was walled off from the main area of the university. That outer area occupied perhaps a quarter of the total space inside the main walls. It was a green area with some trees and shrubs. There were a few benches just by the walls. A couple of people in hooded robes sat upon one of the benches reading books in the shade of a tree. They looked like junior mages or something like that.

After casually looking about those outer grounds, Monika and Alex had approached the steps that led up to the platform with the tower. Alex had again steered wide of the purple flames of the cauldrons near those stairs.

At the top of the steps, the platform on the near side of the wall presented as a semi-circle. A stone wall ran along the far side, separating the outer grounds from the inner grounds of the university. There were gates leading into the main university at either side of the central tower. That tower had a front door immediately ahead. Between the steps and the front door to the tower, there was a large arcane glyph set into the stones of the floor.

Alex had paused to look at the pattern near his feet. He was momentarily startled by the sound of footfalls running toward them. A student had dashed up the steps and rushed past, headed for the gates leading into the university.

After glancing back down at the pattern on the stones, Alex looked to Monika. "What does this mean?"

"I don't really know." Monika shrugged.

Alex accepted her response without comment. He glanced toward the gate that the student had passed through, shifting half a step in that direction.

Monika had taken Alex's arm lightly. "We can't go in there."

Alex turned to Monika with a slightly confused expression.

Monika explained. "You're only allowed inside if you're a member of the college or the Synod. The general public can only enter in the company of a member… with permission papers from the office." Monika indicated the front door to the tower. "We could go into the receiving office. They'd just tell us the same."

Alex just nodded his acceptance.

Monika led Alex toward the gate. "We can go right up to the gate and look, but we can't go in."

They both peered through the bars of the gate. There wasn't all that much to see. A few robed mages standing about talking. A few others were passing by this way and that. Some buildings could be seen along the outer walls, but not much detail.

"Have you ever been in there?" Alex asked.

"Just the once." Monika responded. "I had permission to collect a specialised medicine for Nerussa. For her eyes. I was escorted to the special alchemy place over around right-hand side of the area." She pointed in the direction of what she was talking about and paused a moment. "I didn't really see that much. Most places in there are off limits anyway. Even with permission and an escort."

Alex continued to look through the bars for a further moment. He seemed a little disappointed that there wasn't more to see. He was interrupted by another student arriving to pass through the gate. Alex and Monika had stepped aside to let her through.

"Come on. There's not much more to see here." Monika suggested.

"Okay." Alex agreed.

They both turned away from the main university grounds and headed back toward the entrance in the outer walls. Alex remained wary of the magical purple flames by the stone steps. As they crossed the open space toward the gates that led back to the city, Alex had posed a question. "Do you suppose that it has something to do with… with my… uh… my ability? The flames, I mean."

Monika glanced back at Alex. "Don't know. I suppose it's possible." She paused. "We could ask someone… if you really want to…"

Alex shook his head. "I would rather not."

Monika returned an understanding smile. "Come on, then. Let's get out of here."

They moved past the purple flames and headed out back the way they came.

Upon the bridge across the gully that led back to the city, an elderly Altmer woman in mages robes had passed by on her way to the Arcane University. She had given Monika and Alex just a brief glance. "Good morning." The Altmer woman offered a friendly greeting as she passed. Monika had returned the greeting. Alex had merely offered a cordial nod.

Alex was feeling more suspicious of any passing Altmer or Bosmer after their earlier conversation. Since that passing incident with the purple flames, he was also developing a renewed measure of suspicion toward anyone dressed as a mage.

That distraction had served to keep Alex from looking out across the lake and spotting the island in the distance. Monika had taken his arm and subtly kept his focus toward the gated doors ahead.

* * *

Alex and Monika had returned to the Arboretum District. It would have been well past the mid-morning point by that time. Aside from the guards, there were perhaps no more than ten others wandering the open space. Since they were in no particular hurry, and the day was not as hot as the previous one, Monika and Alex casually wandered along the paths of the arboretum. They had again looked at the statues of the Nine Divines layed out around the circular path with Talos at the centre. Alex didn't recognise all of the others individually. The representation of Dibella, the Aedra goddess of beauty was obvious. Portrayed as a sensual young woman holding out flowers. He also recognised the statue of Arkay just nearby. It represented the god of birth and death as a bearded man in robes carrying a staff. There was just a simple shrine to Arkay in Falkreath. It was nothing like that large stone statue. Of course, Alex could not mistake the statue of Akatosh for any of the others. It depicted the chief of the Nine Divines in human form, but with two heads. His human face presented as a wizened older man, the other head was that of a dragon. Alex was not especially motivated to ask Monika about all the other statues. He knew of each of the Divines that were represented by the statues, even if he fully wasn't certain of which one was which.

Monika had gradually directed their path over toward the western gates that led to the Temple District.

"Are we headed for the next district?" Alex asked her.

"Might as well." Monika offered. "We're meant to be just wandering the city."

"Okay." Alex agreed.

Monika and Alex left the arboretum behind and entered the Temple District. They continued to wander at a casual pace. There were a number of people on the streets, but it was not particularly crowded. The day had continued to hold off from the heat of the previous one. A light hint of a breeze could just be felt.

Alex had been looking at the Temple of the One as they walked along the main street. After looking upon all those statues, he had been considering the Divines. "Do you pray to the Divines?"

Monika looked at Alex with mild curiosity. "Yeah. Sometimes."

After a moment, Alex pressed further. "Which ones?"

Monika wore an ironic grin. "Well, any of them… all of them, sometimes."

"Do you go to the temples?"

"Sometimes. Why? Do you want go into the temple?" Monika nodded toward the Temple of the One.

"Uh, no. Not really."

Monika's expression indicated her confusion over what Alex was getting at.

After a moment, Alex tried to explain himself. "Well… grandmother Illiana used to always say that you do not need to actually go to a temple or a shrine to offer prayer to the Divines. The Divines can hear prayers wherever you are."

"And…?" Monika prompted.

"And… well, nothing really. I was just thinking about the Divines. That is all."

Monika smiled and shook her head. "So… do you pray to the Divines, then?"

Alex looked to Monika. "Sometimes… mostly Arkay and Kynareth. But only in quiet moments… privately."

Monika smiled to herself. "Well, let's hope they're watching over us tomorrow.

Alex nodded silently.

Once they had reached the far side of the district, Monika spoke again. "Do you want head into Talos Plaza?"

Alex had glanced up to the sky. It looked to be nearing midday. "Okay."

Monika and Alex continued along the street toward the gated doors and passed through into the Talos Plaza District. Looking down the street toward the plaza at the centre, it had seemed rather busy. It was probably just the typical midday activity of any Fredas. A number of people headed in various directions. Quite a few were gathering about the central plaza area.

As Monika and Alex headed down the street toward the central area, Monika had noticed a couple of beggars plying their trade in a vigorous fashion. She turned to Alex and spoke quietly. "Don't speak to the beggars." She took his arm as they walked.

Alex didn't say anything in response. He didn't have any experience with their kind. He hadn't even seen one before coming to Cyrodiil. Of course, he had heard of beggars in the bigger cities, but there wasn't anything like that in Falkreath or Helgen. These ones weren't just holding back by the edge of the thoroughfare, but actively moving through the crowds seeking fresh opportunities.

At their approach, a barefoot beggar turned his attention toward Alex and Monika. He looked to be a fair skinned Imperial or a Breton. He was balding and his generally shabby appearance made him look much older than he probably was.

The beggar started his routine. He seemed focussed upon Alex, but his eyes shifted to include Monika in his view. "C'n ya spare a coin for a poor beggar? Just a coin or two to keep an old man from starvin'?"

Alex tried to remain silent. He found it difficult to ignore the beggar's plea. They had slowed their pace, but had not actually stopped.

Monika had kept the beggar in clear view. Without a word, she dropped a coin into the beggar's open hand. Monika kept hold of Alex's arm and tried to maintain stride.

"Blessings of Arkay upon ya." The beggar had called out his thanks as they moved away from him.

Alex had leaned toward Monika and whispered. "Do you think that the beggars might be spies?"

Monika spoke quietly. "You never know." She paused. "Some of them are probably just what they seem. Just as many are probably eyes and ears for the Thieves Guild. Could just as easily be spies of some sort as well."

Alex didn't say anything, accepting Monika's advice.

They had passed the Tiber Septim Hotel. It was situated along the western side of the central plaza. Alex watched two well-dressed men going into the front door of the inn.

"Is that the place that Forester mentioned?" Alex asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah." Monika confirmed. "That's probably the oldest and most… expensive place in the city."

"What is it like?"

"Oh… it's a bit like the Empire Inn, back in Chorrol. Only much older and even more expensive looking. You don't want to go in there. They'll take your gold, but unless you're nobility or recognisably wealthy, they'll treat you like dirt."

Alex looked slightly disappointed, but accepted her opinion. "Okay, then."

Monika redirected the topic just slightly. "It is getting to about that time of day." She paused to look up at the sky. It had passed the midday mark. "There's a little place over the eastern side. It's a lot friendlier. We could sit down and have something to eat."

"Just something light." Alex wasn't that hungry.

"Yeah, just something light. I'm not that hungry either."

Alex and Monika veered off toward the eastern side of the Talos Plaza District. They had almost reached the Elven Gardens before they turned along the side street and arrived outside The Foaming Flask. They passed through the rather modest looking door and stepped inside.

The Foaming Flask was reasonably clean and tidy inside. It seemed to be just an average tavern. Alex had thought that it was better than The Feed Bag, but not as pleasant as the Merchant's Inn. It was probably less than half the size of the tavern of the Merchant's Inn. There weren't that many people in the tavern, but it almost seemed a little crowded due its lesser size.

Monika and Alex headed to the main bar. They acquired something to eat and some drinks, then found a free table over by the north wall where they could sit down.

Monika had mentioned that The Foaming Flask had been there since before she was born. Alex didn't respond verbally, merely nodding as he ate.

After a short while, Alex had paused to finish a mouthful of food before speaking quietly to Monika. "It feels as though we are just wasting time."

Monika looked to Alex. She offered a slight smile and spoke just as quietly. "Well, we are. That's just what they want us to do." After a pause. "They want us to look like we're just taking some time to relax, before heading back to Chorrol." Another pause. "And they want us to be seen doing just that… in public."

Alex just nodded, taking another bite of his food. Monika also returned to her food. A short time passed in relative silence until they had finished.

Monika drained her mug and turned to Alex as she rose from her seat. "Do you want another one?"

Alex was only half way through his drink. He shook his head.

"You sure? I'm having one more."

Alex shook his head again. "No thankyou."

Monika headed to the bar for another drink. Alex had noted a short Bosmer man arriving through the front door and heading to the bar. He watched the Wood Elf with some mild measure of distrust.

Monika returned from the bar with her drink. Alex was still eyeing the Bosmer. He was trying not to appear like he was doing it, but failing miserably.

Monika had noticed Alex's behaviour. "Alex." She spoke in a patronising tone.

Alex shifted his gaze toward Monika. "What?"

Monika spoke quietly. "Just stop it."

"Stop what?"

"You know what I'm talking about." Monika paused, taking a sip of her drink. "You're going to start a fight if you keep staring at everyone like that… everyone that looks a little different."

Alex didn't say anything. He tried to finish his drink instead.

After a moment of silence, Alex asked a question. "What should we do next?"

Monika considered for a moment. "Yeah, after this… maybe we could head out of the city. Make our way over to the Wawnet Inn." After a pause. "Unless there's something else…?

Alex shook his head. "Is it not a bit early?"

Monika looked at Alex over her mug as she took another sip. "We'll take our time."

After a short while, Monika and Alex left The Foaming Flask and returned to the streets of the Talos Plaza District. Rather than heading back down the main street, Monika had directed their path along the outer street that followed the curve of the main city walls. They were less likely to encounter beggars along that path. They had only passed a few regular citizens and some city guards as they made their way around to the main city gates.

* * *

Alex and Monika passed through the main gates to the City Isle. They had exchanged casual greetings with the guards outside. A cooling afternoon breeze had become fully evident once they were outside the city walls. It seemed a stark contrast to the previous afternoon.

Passing the stabling facilities on their right, Monika and Alex made their way along the steeply sloped roadway at a measured pace. About half way down the descent, the path that veered off to the north of the island seemed to the show indication of a lot of recent traffic. The increased amount of loose dirt and fresh horse shit were obvious indicators. That path led to the part of the island where that Legion camp was situated.

Once they were nearer to the bridge, they could see a column of Legion troops just leaving the far side of the bridge at the edge of Weye. Until they had reached that position, the view ahead had been obscured by the large bulk of the support structures of the bridge. There appeared to be maybe twenty soldiers in the group. It was a reasonable assumption that they probably had something to do with those other planned activities that the inspector had mentioned.

Alex and Monika continued onto the bridge at a casual pace. As they neared the halfway point, Alex had been looking out across to the north. He was straining to see the location of the Legion training camp on the north-western part of the island. He couldn't really make out any clear detail.

A few moments later, Monika and Alex needed to step aside to the short wall at the side of the bridge. A trade wagon had come along behind them at the same time that another wagon had just passed through Weye onto the bridge. The wagons passed and Alex and Monika continued across to the western side of the bridge.

The elderly woman sat by her open stall just past the end of the bridge. She had a few fish layed out for sale. She stirred a little at Monika and Alex's approach, but didn't get up since they didn't look like they were headed to the stall. At the side of the house behind her, one of the fishermen was busy working upon his nets. Another one was working at a small stone fireplace smoking some fish.

Nearing the Wawnet Inn, Alex had glanced toward the shabby stabling facility across the road. There was just the one horse beneath the roof of that space. That boy was again snoozing in the corner. Everything appeared quite typical of any other day.

It had to be around mid-afternoon as Monika and Alex arrived at the Wawnet Inn. Just outside the door, Monika had paused for a moment. She momentarily glanced at Alex with a pleasant smile. He returned her smile, just vaguely wondering about the significance of it.

* * *

Passing through the doorway, Monika and Alex moved through the dark corridor and into the tavern area of the Wawnet Inn. There was just the one patron inside. An old man sat in the south-eastern corner of the tavern. He appeared to have fallen asleep cradling his mug.

As Monika and Alex came around toward the service bar, Julia had suddenly popped up from behind. There must have been a low set stool or the like behind the bar.

"Monika." Julia said. "Back so soon."

"Hello, Julia." Monika spoke in a neutral tone.

"And Alex." Julia added. "How are you?"

"I am well." Alex responded, with a short nod. Since he was actually recognising the subtle tension between Monika and Julia, he tried not to seem too friendly.

"So, what can I get you today?" Julia offered.

"We're going to need a room for the night." Monika responded.

"I'm sure we can do that." Julia advised.

"Julia." Nerussa had called out from the back with her frail sounding voice.

"Yeah." Julia sung out, turning her head in that direction.

"Is that Monika?" Nerussa called out again.

"Yeah." Julia confirmed. She turned back to face Monika and Alex. "I expect Nerussa will be out in a moment."

Nerussa had emerged slowly from the passage behind the side of the bar. Finding the edge of the bar, she moved along the front, holding the tabletop for support.

"Hello, Nerussa." Monika spoke in a friendly tone.

"Monika." Nerussa said warmly. "You're back for a visit."

"Yes, Nerussa." Monika responded pleasantly.

"Let me see you." Nerussa reached out for Monika's arm and moved in closer to peer at her through her pale eyes. "How have you been?"

"Good. I've been well." Monika assured. "And yourself."

"Well enough. Well enough." Nerussa reached out with her other hand. "Is that young Nord still with you?"

"Yes, Nerussa." Monika answered.

Nerussa found Alex's arm. She strained to recall his name. "What was your name? Oldar… Andar? No…" She leaned in closer to Alex.

"Alex. Alexander Pinewatch." He made himself heard.

"That's right. Alex. Alexander." Nerussa repeated his name. "From Falkreath.

"Yes, Nerussa." Alex confirmed.

"Not a Nord name, is it?" Nerussa suggested. She hadn't made comment during the previous visit.

"My grandmother was Imperial." Alex offered.

Nerussa nodded slowly, before shifting the topic. "I hope you've been doing right by Monika." She turned back toward Monika.

"Alex has been coming along quite well." Monika advised. "He's been very helpful." Monika had briefly glanced at Alex with a little smile reflected in her eyes.

"Good. Good." Nerussa turned toward Alex again. "You listen to Monika. You do what she tells you."

"Yes, Nerussa." Alex agreed.

Nerussa turned back to Monika. "It's only been a couple of weeks. Hasn't it?"

"About a week." Monika replied.

"Is that all?" Nerussa considered. "I thought it was a little longer than that." She paused a moment. "Are you going to stay for a little while?

"We were planning to get a room for the night."

Nerussa nodded slowly with a tight grin taking form. "Julia." She called out sharply.

"I'm right here." Julia responded, from just behind the bar.

"Organise a room for Monika and Alex."

"Yes, Nerussa." Julia spoke in that flat tone of restrained compliance.

"The good one upstairs. Special pricing for Monika." Nerussa added.

"Yes, Nerussa." Julia's tone remained the same.

Nerussa turned back to Monika. "Julia will get the key for you. Why don't you take your belongings upstairs and then come back down in a little while to talk."

"We'll do that." Monika agreed.

"You bring Alex back down with you as well."

"Yes, Nerussa."

"I'll go sit down for a little while. You let me know when you come back down." Nerussa turned away slowly and headed off toward the passage to the back area.

Monika and Alex turned back to the service bar. Monika dealt directly with Julia as Alex stood back. She paid for the room and took the key from her.

* * *

Monika and Alex had made their way to the upstairs area of the Wawnet Inn and along the hall to the room at the far end. They went inside and closed the door.

"Let's get our gear packed away." Monika suggested. "Give Nerussa a little while before we head back down."

"Okay." Alex agreed.

Alex had shuffled over to the lockup chest to drop his valuables inside. Monika stood back a little and passed her own valuables to Alex to pack away. It was easier that way. Easier than constantly shuffling past each other. There wasn't a lot of space in that room.

Since they were trying to take some time, Monika suggested that they hang out their leather armour for the next morning. Just like the last time they were there, Alex had again arranged their leathers hanging in the wardrobe with the doors left open. Their weapons and shields were set aside in the best place available in the limited space. They took some time to rearrange their packs before placing them out of the way on top of the cupboard by the wall. After attending to each of those tasks, Monika suggested that they return to the tavern downstairs.

* * *

Back in the tavern, Alex stopped at the bar to get drinks as Monika headed to the back to see Nerussa. A moment later, Monika and Nerussa had slowly emerged from the passageway. Alex had just collected an ale and a cider. They all headed for the table nearest to the bar. A couple of Legion soldiers had arrived during the time that Alex and Monika had been upstairs. The soldiers had settled at one of the far tables with their drinks. The older man had continued to snooze at the other table.

"Julia." Nerussa had called out. She made a gesture with her hand.

"Coming up." Julia returned.

Nerussa, Monika and Alex settled into seats around the table. After just a short moment, Julia had arrived with a glass of dark wine for Nerussa.

Nerussa took a small sip from her wine before speaking. "So, where have you just come from?"

"We've been in the Imperial City." Monika offered.

Nerussa returned a vague expression as she considered a response.

"Alex had never been to the city before." Monika explained.

"Really?" Nerussa turned to face Alex. "And how did you find it?"

Alex paused before answering. "Well… it is very different from what I am used to."

"It is the greatest city of all the Empire." Nerussa stated as fact.

"It certainly seems that way." Alex agreed. "I have not before seen the like. I thought that Chorrol was amazing, but the Imperial City… is even more so."

"Different from your homeland, I expect." Nerussa suggested.

"Oh, yes." Alex confirmed. "Falkreath seems like no more than a township if measured against the Imperial City."

Nerussa reached out to touch Alex's hand. "You are very well spoken for a Nord."

"My grandmother, Illiana." Alex offered.

Nerussa nodded her understanding without asking for more.

"I wrote a letter to my mother a few days ago." Monika mentioned.

"Very good." Nerussa beamed. "Did you remember to mention me in your letter?"

"Yes, Nerussa." Monika responded. "I spoke of you and passed on your regards."

Nerussa seemed quite pleased. "That's kind of you. You should remember to write to her more often. You let me know when you hear back."

"Yes, Nerussa." Monika agreed. "It'll probably be a little while before she gets it."

"Of course." Nerussa paused. "What else have you been doing?"

"Just work… mostly." Monika responded.

"Work for that Fighter's Guild?" Nerussa prompted.

"Yeah." Monika took a sip of her ale. She wasn't about to discuss it any further.

Nerussa spoke again. "A Bosmer came through here last night. I heard him say that the Bravil Fighter's Guild lost an Orsimer a few days ago."

"Oh? That's… unfortunate." Monika took another sip of her ale.

Alex also took a sip of his drink.

Nerussa pressed. "Did you know that Orsimer?"

"I don't think so." Monika dissembled. "I might have met him before."

Alex remained perfectly silent. He wasn't all that comfortable with keeping the truth from friends. Lying wasn't really in his nature.

Nerussa broke the lengthy pause. "That Fighter's Guild work is dangerous. You could get yourself hurt."

Monika responded. "I know that, Nerussa. That's why I'm very careful… and right now, I have Alex to back me up."

Nerussa grinned tightly. "It must be growing a little late by now. Are you hungry?"

Monika considered her response only briefly. It was late in the afternoon, but not quite evening. "Maybe a little."

Nerussa turned to Alex and touched his arm. "Why don't you go see Julia about meals for Monika and yourself. You tell her I said no charge for the meals."

"Yes Nerussa." Alex accepted. "What about yourself?"

"That's very considerate of you." Nerussa patted Alex's arm. "I don't want anything, right now. You just get something for Monika and yourself."

Alex got up from his seat to go to the service bar. Julia had been seated behind the bar reading a book. She popped up in response to Alex's arrival.

In Alex's absence, Nerussa returned to the previous topic with Monika. She spoke a little more quietly than before. "You really should think about leaving the Fighter's Guild behind."

Monika hesitated. "Not just yet."

Nerussa persisted. "Think about your mother. Elwyn would be devastated if I had to send her a letter telling her that… that you were gone."

"That's not going to happen." Monika insisted. She tried to keep her voice soft.

Nerussa leaned in closer toward Monika. She kept her voice low. "Have you ever thought about running the inn?"

Monika blinked. She spoke quietly. "The Wawnet Inn?"

"I'm getting too old for this." Nerussa lamented.

"Nerussa." Monika protested.

"I'm quite serious." Nerussa asserted.

"You have Julia." Monika whispered.

"Phtt. She's just the help." Nerussa waved her hand dismissively. "I want the inn to go to someone that I know and trust… when I'm gone."

"Nerussa." Monika didn't want to consider that.

Nerussa continued. "I might have been talking with your mother, if she was still here. But she's not here. You are."

Alex was returning from the bar with two trays. A silence fell across the table between Nerussa and Monika. Alex had noticed it immediately. His expression toward Monika indicated a question. Her silent response was dismissive. More the case, she indicated an unwillingness to give voice to it.

Alex proceeded to place the trays upon the table. The aroma of spicy broth wafted up from the dishes.

Monika had interrupted before Alex had the opportunity to take his seat. "Oh, I'm sorry. Alex, could I get you to get another ale for me? I've finished this one." She handed him her empty mug.

Alex took the mug. "Okay. I will be right back." He didn't need to refill his own. It was still more than half full. Nerussa's wine also seemed about the same. Alex returned to the bar.

"I just want you to give it some thought." Nerussa revived the issue, but she kept her voice to quiet tones.

"Yes Nerussa. I'll think about it." Monika's voice reflected that she was just trying to sound agreeable.

Nerussa pressed a little further. "Didn't you tell me that your young Nord used to run a farm? You should think about settling down. He'd make a fine husband."

"Nerrusa." Monika protested in a whiny fashion.

Nerussa had said her piece. She held up a hand to indicate that she was finished with the matter.

Alex returned to the table with Monika's ale. He briefly glanced about in response to the renewed silence that his return had seemed to have caused, then resumed his seat.

The older woman from the stall near the bridge had just come into the tavern with one of the fishermen. They must have finished up for the day a little early. They went directly to the service bar.

Nerussa shifted in her seat and picked up her wine. "I should leave you both to your meal."

"You don't need to…" Monika offered.

Nerussa demurred. "No. I think I'm feeling a little tired. I need to rest for a while."

"Okay, then." Monika agreed.

"Will you see me before you leave?" Nerussa asked, rising from her seat.

"I don't know." Monika hesitated. "We have to leave very early in the morning."

Nerussa grinned tightly. "I understand. You be careful out there." She reached for Alex's shoulder. "You listen to what Monika tells you."

"I will, Nerussa." Alex assured.

Nerussa nodded slowly as she started to turn away. "Goodbye, then."

"Yes, goodbye Nerussa." Alex returned.

"Goodbye." Monika had called out just a little belatedly, as Nerussa slowly headed off back to the passageway that led to the area behind the bar.

Alex had been considering the aroma rising from the spicy broth. He decided it was time to start into it. After a short moment had passed, Monika also tasted her broth.

After taking a sip of his drink, Alex had commented upon the broth. "This is different. Not as hot as the last time." The mix of spices seemed to be something different from the last time they had been there. Slightly different flavours. Just as savoury, but not quite as hot.

"Hmm." Monika agreed idly. She continued with her broth.

Alex had glanced at Monika briefly. She seemed distracted by something. He had decided to leave it aside for the moment, but made a mental note to speak with her later. He continued with his meal.

Alex and Monika had eventually finished their meals. That time had passed in relative silence. The two Legion soldiers had departed during that time. The old man sleeping in the corner had awoken and stumbled to the bar for another drink, before returning to his table. As Monika and Alex were finishing with their drinks, another elderly couple had entered the tavern area of the inn. From their general appearance, they looked like locals from the village.

Monika had finished with her ale. She excused herself and headed off to the bathroom through the hall in the northern wall. It was a while before she had returned. She had taken the time to have a quick wash.

Upon Monika's return, Alex took his turn to visit the bathroom. By the time that Alex had returned, another different pair of Legion soldiers had arrived in the tavern. The space in the tavern area was beginning to feel a little more crowded.

Monika had suggested that they retire to their upstairs room. Alex agreed easily. They had exchanged a polite wave with Julia as they passed by the bar and then continued on upstairs.

* * *

It was still very early in the evening as Monika and Alex settled into their room at the Wawnet Inn. Monika had advised that they make final checks over their weapons and equipment, since there wouldn't really be much time in the morning. She also advised Alex to make sure that he planned to keep those potions as accessible as possible. Especially the healing potions and the one that provided resistance to paralysis.

Once Alex had just about completed going over his equipment, he had turned toward Monika. He spoke casually. "What was Nerussa speaking about?"

Monika had flashed a dark look in his direction. Her expression softened a little before she spoke. "Nerussa is trying to get me to leave the Fighter's Guild behind."

Alex returned an expectant expression.

Monika responded. "I don't… I don't think I'm ready to do that." After a pause. "Not just yet, anyway."

"Nerussa cares about you." Alex offered.

Monika smiled. "I know. I know she's just looking out for me."

"So am I." Alex offered.

Monika continued to smile. "Come on. We need to make sure we get a good night's rest tonight. It's going to be an early start… and a big day."

"Okay." Alex agreed. He shared her smile.

Monika and Alex undressed for bed. They took the time to fold and pack away their clothing into their packs, before retiring to the bed.

Monika had snuggled into a comfortable position, cradling Alex from behind. Her right arm was draped across his waist with her hand just below his heart. She whispered quietly. "I want you to be extra careful tomorrow."

"I will." Alex spoke just above a whisper.

"It could all go quietly and perfectly, with no trouble." She paused. "Or we could be fighting Thalmor wizards and soldiers. We just don't know."

"I know." Alex agreed. "I will be careful."

After another short pause, Monika whispered. "I want to be settling into a warm bed tomorrow night, just like this."

Alex shifted his hand to his chest and placed it across hers. Monika had kissed him gently upon the neck, but avoided initiating anything more. Their breathing had soon fallen into a loose synchronicity and they both drifted off to restful sleep.

~O~


	20. Chapter 20

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 20

Loredas the 29th of Sun's Height 4E48

THE MORNING

Alex and Monika were up and about before the dawn. Still, up and about was rather relative. The cramped space of that room had served to keep that movement to a restricted minimum. They had attended to immediate matters and dressed in their leathers. A light breakfast was taken from their supplies. Shuffling around each another, they had gathered their packs and made one final check over their equipment.

Leaving the room behind, they had gone directly downstairs. Monika had dropped the key on the shelf behind the unattended bar and they departed the Wawnet Inn.

* * *

The main street of Weye was still and quiet. The old woman had not yet set up her stall by the bridge. The makeshift stabling facility was unattended. The only movement in sight was a wagon in the distance coming along The Red Ring Road from the south, and a farmer standing by the edge of his fields over by the western edge of the village.

The sun was still low in the sky behind the City Isle. Some light high-level clouds moved across the sky in places. It would have been still more than half an hour before seven, but they had planned to arrive early.

Monika and Alex headed off behind the inn, walking across the grass. The lake was just over the low hillside a short way to the north. That part of Lake Rumare formed a modest sized basin that lined the northern edge of Weye. The shoreline curved away to the west in a broad arc before reaching the northernmost part of the lake.

Upon clearing the hillside, they could see the old wooden docking pier just a short walk westward along the lake's edge. As they neared that rickety dock, both Alex and Monika felt the familiar vibration of their enchanted rings. There was smaller sized boat upon the sand at far side of the pier. However, they couldn't see anyone there.

Only once they almost there, Agent Hunter had suddenly emerged from behind one of the wooden posts of the dock. He was wearing a light brown cloak over whatever kind of armour he had underneath. At a quick glance, he looked a bit like a fisherman.

Hunter spoke up. "You're early. That's good."

"That's the plan." Monika responded.

Alex had turned to quickly look about behind them. "No sign of Forester yet." He made the comment as he turned back toward the dock.

"It's still early." Monika suggested.

Hunter had stepped over toward the boat. It had been pulled up on the sand just next to the pier. He retrieved two bundles and then passed one each to Monika and Alex. "Put these on. Should look a bit less obvious." Hunter had given them brown cloaks just like the one he was wearing.

Monika and Alex had removed their backpacks, bows and shields and then pulled the cloaks over their leather armour.

Hunter spoke again. "Best if you put all your obvious equipment in the boat until we reach our destination."

"Sounds good." Monika spoke for both of them.

They moved over to the boat to load their gear. The boat was about twice the length of the average rowboat, but not much wider. It had a pivoted sail mast that was currently laid down along the length of the small sailboat.

As Alex and Monika were stashing their equipment under the light canvass near the middle of the boat, they had again felt the familiar vibration of their enchanted rings. They turned to see Forester walking along the shoreline of the lake toward them.

Forester spoke as he reached the dock. "Good morning to you all."

"Forester." Hunter responded.

At the same time, Monika had also returned the greeting. "Good morning."

Alex was picking up the other cloak from the boat. He brought it over to Forester and offered a friendly nod. "Hunter wants us to wear these."

Forester took the cloak. "Of course." The small bag that he had slung over his shoulder was no more conspicuous than his blades. He just slung the cloak over the top of his mithril armour.

"You should take off your helmet." Hunter advised Forester.

"Of course." Forester agreed.

"Everyone has their amulets?" Hunter checked.

Each of the others responded in the affirmative.

"Alright, then." Hunter settled. "We should get under way."

They all moved over to the sailboat. They pushed the boat down into the water and scrambled aboard one by one. Forester had settled into position near the front. Monika and Alex near the middle. Alex sat on the starboard side.

Hunter had kicked off the motion of the boat as he climbed into the rear. He had then pulled the mast to the upright position and locked it in place. He unfurled the sail and adjusted it a few times to harness the light breeze moving over the lake. It seemed a slow start, but the boat gradually gained a little more speed as it went along.

Hunter had control of the rudder-stock at the back of the boat. He had steered the vessel toward the north.

"We're going around the north of the City Isle?" Monika sought confirmation.

"Yes." Hunter's response was straight to the point.

Forester commented. "I expect that the northern route should be far less crowded than sailing around the waterfront area."

"Would that not make us stand out?" Alex questioned.

Forester pointed over to the north-western corner of that part of the lake. Just near the shore, there was a small rowboat on the water with two pole fishermen.

Monika commented. "It's not unusual to see little fishing boats about the north of the lake. Also, people after clams and smaller crabs along the shoreline."

Alex accepted that information. He had looked over to the east. He was trying to spot that Legion training camp on the City Isle. However, it appeared to remain out of view from that lower vantage.

* * *

After more than half an hour, the sailboat had reached the northern end of the island. A lesser bridge crossed the lake near that point. Hunter needed to lower the sail mast for the boat to pass under the bridge. The bridge was a wooden structure set atop stone pylons. It was rather low and not very wide. It appeared to be a footbridge. Only the smallest of wagons might have been able to use it. The spacing between the pylons was only barely wide enough for the small boat to squeeze through. As it was, the side of the boat had bounced and ground along the side of the posts. After passing the bridge, Hunter had pulled the mast back into position and sought to catch the wind once again.

A little further ahead, there was a small wooden pier upon the northern shore of the City Isle. From its neglected appearance, it looked like it could easily fall into the water at any moment. A man with a dark beard was pole fishing from the pier with two young boys. The boys had excitedly waved to the boat as they sailed by.

Forester had chuckled lightly and waved back to them.

Alex had commented in response. "My grandfather had taken me fishing like that when I was just a boy."

"I thought you came from the south of Skyrim." Forester reflected. He was considering just how far that should be from the northern sea, or any sea for that matter.

"Yes. I am from Falkreath." Alex confirmed. "There is a large freshwater lake just a short walk north of Pinewatch Farm. Lake Ilinalta." After a pause. "It is nearly as large as Lake Rumare, but not very deep. You could almost walk across in some places during the dry season. Still, there were always a lot of fish in the lake."

Forester had been looking back toward the fisherman and the children. "It's been a long time…" He trailed off.

Monika had been watching Forester. She thought that she had picked up on something. After a hesitation, she gave voice to the thought. "Do you have children?"

Forester looked up with an expression of surprise. His mouth was open. "Well… yes. I have a boy." He paused. "Well, I suppose he must be almost a young man by now."

Monika looked to Forester. She wondered if he intended to leave it at that.

Forester looked down and shook his head. He then looked back up, apparently deciding that he might as well continue. "I haven't seen him in years. Not since his mother left me and moved away to Kvatch. That was back when I was with the Synod." He paused a short moment. "At the time, I blamed the Synod… but I suppose I should only blame myself."

Alex spoke up. "Have you not tried to…?"

Forester grimaced. "I very much doubt that Raesa would see me." He paused, looking out across the water. "But I would like to see young Mattias. He will be fifteen this Hearthfire."

"That is only two months away." Alex noted.

"It might be good to take some time off after this mission." Monika commented. It wasn't immediately clear whether she was talking about Forester or herself.

"Hmm." Forester looked away over the lake in the direction they were headed.

Alex had looked away from Forester and glanced at Monika briefly. He shifted his gaze toward Hunter only briefly. Hunter had been doing his best to pretend he wasn't listening to their conversations. He clearly held no interest in such interaction. They all fell silent for a short while.

* * *

A bit further ahead along the northern stretch of the lake, Alex had looked past Monika and spotted some activity above the northern shore. He had firstly noticed another one of those old forts set upon the steep hillside above. Then he had observed that there was someone up there. Monika had seen Alex lifting his hand to point in that direction. He hadn't yet said anything.

Monika had swung her head about to see what Alex what looking at. "That's uh… that's Fort Caractacus, I think."

Forester had also reacted. "Yes, Fort Caractacus."

Alex was straining to make out what he could see. He started to ask a question. "Is that uh…?"

"It's just another abandoned fort." Monika anticipated his question.

Two figures could be seen at the top of the fort. They seemed to be peering over the wall toward another two figures standing upon an outside stone balcony a few levels below the top of the fort. Up the steep hill a short distance, there were a few more figures. The morning sunlight had glinted off the metal armour of the figures upon the hillside. Although it was a little hard to tell from that distance, they looked like armoured Legion soldiers.

Forester commented. "It looks like some sort of… activity…" He trailed off and turned toward Hunter.

"One of the decoy operations." Hunter advised. His tone indicated that he didn't seem inclined to elaborate further.

Forester had gazed at Hunter for just a moment longer before accepting the finality of the statement. He returned to looking up the hillside.

"There are more." Alex noted. He could see another couple of figures coming down from further up the hillside.

"Aleswell is up there." Monika commented.

"What is Aleswell?" Alex queried.

"Village." Monika replied distractedly, still struggling to make out what she could see. "A farming village. It's uh… it's on The Red Ring Road."

As the sailboat continued eastward, it soon became even more difficult to see what was going on up by Fort Caractacus. Alex had turned to look about in other directions. Ahead to the right and up the hills of the City Isle, the walls of the Imperial Prison could be seen. The tower that rose from within that space looked a bit like the tower at the Arcane University. The taller walls of the Imperial City stretched along just behind that structure. Even from the low vantage of the water, the White-Gold Tower could still be seen rising up to pierce the skyline.

Further along that stretch, an inlet soon came into view upon the northern side of the City Isle. There was a metal gated opening just above the waterline in the side of the hill. Alex was looking at it with some interest.

He heard Monika's voice from behind. "That's an outlet from the city sewers."

Alex had nodded silently. He understood what she meant, though he didn't know exactly how the sewer system might work. Nor did he hold any notion of just how extensive that sewer network beneath the city really was.

Upon a wide sandy beach along the side of that inlet, several crabs slowly picked their way along the shoreline. Most of them had bodies bigger than the size of a large chicken. Their legs and large fore-claws made them appear even larger.

They continued to traverse that stretch of the lake in relative silence for a short while. There wasn't all that much to see or draw comment. The steep hills continued along the City Isle side of the lake. The shoreline upon the northern side of the lake had begun to fall to lower grassy hills. The land still rose up much higher behind those lower hills. In fact, the land continued to rise as far the eye could see. The distant Jerall Mountains marked the northern horizon. Somewhere just below those mountains was the city of Bruma.

* * *

After almost three hours upon the water, the sailboat had almost crossed the northern part of the lake and the path was just beginning to angle toward the south again. The light morning breeze had fallen off a little, but they were still making reasonable time.

Just up ahead, they were coming up on some old stone structures standing upon a small peninsular extending out from the northern shoreline. There were also a few trees standing just next to the stone ruins on the eastern side. On the near side, a tall pale grey stone archway stood not far from the edge of the water. The remains of other broken stone archways stood just behind. Some of the stones lay upon the ground with grass and weeds growing about them. A boxlike stone structure was situated just behind all of that. It was less than twice the height of a man. Immediately behind that box, there was another stone structure about twice as tall, with the remains of a broken framework of stone pillars rising from the top.

"Vilverin." Forester commented, in a matter-of-fact tone.

Monika spoke up. More for Alex's benefit. "Ayleid ruins."

Drawing closer to the ruins, they could see that the stone door in the southern face of box shaped structure had been left swung open. Strange vapours arose from the top of the taller platform just behind.

Just as the sailboat drew closer to the ruins, movement came into view. A couple of figures emerged from behind the far side. The broken archways, trees and remains of a stone wall had previously obscured their presence.

Forester had tensed up and shifted position at the front of the boat. At the same, Monika fumbled to reach for her bow and quiver under the canvas.

Just as it became obvious that the two figures were wearing Legion armour, Hunter had spoken. "It's alright. I expected this."

Monika had still kept her hand upon her bow, but hadn't yet pulled it out. Forester's shoulders had visibly slumped, indicating a more relaxed posture. Alex had been watching closely, but had not otherwise reacted in any obvious fashion.

Alex had not turned his head back toward Hunter, but his query was obviously directed to him. "Another decoy operation?"

"Yes." Hunter confirmed, maintaining his composure. He hadn't taken his hands from the rudder-stock or the sail guide.

With the sailboat starting to the pass the peninsular, a few more soldiers could now be seen about the eastern side of the ruins. There were also a few Legion horses grazing upon the grass. Voices could be heard, but nothing could be clearly made out. One armoured Legion soldier had marched out from that area toward the shoreline. Two archers had followed just behind.

Hunter had hurriedly tied off the guideline to free up his hand. He then raised his hand and waved to the soldiers. He waved with open hand. Then he waved with only two fingers extended. That was followed by another wave with a fully opened hand, then with just three fingers extended.

The soldier upon the shore had watched carefully. He returned a wave, but alternating between an open hand and a gesture with only his thumb and little finger displayed.

Alex had been shifting his gaze back and forth, watching both Hunter and the Legion soldier. Monika and Forester had kept their eyes upon the Legion soldiers.

Hunter and the soldier had exchanged nods of mutual acceptance as the boat passed closer by the shore. Hunter had steered the boat well clear of an obstacle by the southern side of the narrower passage. The remains of a collapsed wooden pier extended out from the shoreline on that side.

Alex voiced the obvious question. "Is that the group that will be called?"

"No." Hunter's response was simple.

Alex had turned to seek more.

If only to keep Alex quiet, Hunter clarified. "They'll be closer to our position."

With Vilverin behind them, that path around the lake turned fully toward the south. At places, the lake was no wider than a lesser river. The breeze had remained only light and the outgoing tide had just about stalled. As a result, that last part of the journey looked to be taking a little longer than the first part.

* * *

By around eleven, another stone structure came into view. It was much smaller than the Ayleid ruins. That structure was situated upon a smaller outcrop of shoreline intruding upon the lake from the eastern side. It appeared as a circular stone platform with a circular stone altar. Some objects were upon the altar. Three stone pillars stood upon the near side. The remains of some other broken pillars nearby. It seemed that the pillars had once supported a roof over the structure in times long gone by.

"What is that?" Alex had asked.

Monika responded. "A wayshrine of the Divines."

"Wayshrine of Stendarr." Forester offered.

As the sailboat moved closer, they could see a robed figure kneeling by the circular altar. The figure had been previously obscured by one of the standing pillars. There looked to be a pile of weapons laid out upon the stone. Although the robed figure faced their direction, that person at the altar did not seem to display any reaction to their approach.

Forester had again tensed as he strained to assess the robed figure. Monika had again gone for her bow. Alex had also shifted, just in case he needed to prepare himself. They had all noted that Hunter had adjusted the course of the boat to favour the western side of the passage.

Forester again commented. "Looks like one of those Stendarr warrior cultists."

"Vigilant." Monika offered.

"What?" Forester turned back to Monika.

"They call themselves Vigilants." Monika clarified.

"Hmph. I had a bit of a run-in with a couple of them just outside of Skingrad last year." Forester related. "They mentioned Stendarr, but they didn't tell me what they called themselves."

Monika continued. "There were a few of them staying at the Chapel of Stendarr. In Chorrol. That was a while back. I haven't seen them around for a while."

As the boat moved along, they all continued to watch that robed figure by the altar.

Forester continued. "Well, the only thing I knew about them was that they held some strangely militant ideas about Stendarr's mercy. This lot came from Kvatch. I had heard that Count Hassildor didn't want them in Skingrad."

Alex interrupted. "Something like that happened in Falkreath about five years back."

Both Monika and Forester had briefly glanced at Alex.

Alex elaborated. "I heard that a group of Stendarr followers wanted to set up some sort of outpost in Falkreath, but the Jarl would not permit it." He paused briefly. His expression indicated some measure of confusion. "I always thought that Stendarr represented justice and mercy."

Forester responded. "This lot seem to prefer the kind of mercy that comes at the end of a blade. From what I gathered, they don't much like the Synod. Not that I was with the Synod by that stage. Still, they backed down when I warned them off."

Monika had more to add. "There was a little bit of conflict in Chorrol too. Between the Fighter's Guild and the temple priests." She paused. "Those Vigilants were mostly interested in vampires and Daedra worshippers, but sometimes they got in the way of Guild contracts."

Alex commented. "You had not mentioned that before."

Monika shrugged. "It never came up." After a pause. "I've heard that some of them were over in Cheydinhal… since that city was recently destroyed by Daedra creatures."

Forester interjected. "Although it's only hearsay, I heard from a man in Anvil that they have groups of Stendarr warriors in Hammerfell and High Rock."

"In High Rock?" Monika repeated. "Not when I was there. Not in Wayrest anyway. Not that I knew about."

It was Forester's turn to shrug. "It's just what I heard."

The robed figure had not shifted at all during the time that the sailboat had passed by. Throughout the whole conversation between the others, Hunter had offered no comment.

* * *

The sailboat had continued to move along toward the final stretch of the journey. It was just ahead that Wellspring Grove Island came into view. The island did not appear especially large, but the steep cliffs rose to a notable height above the waterline. Atop those cliffs, the trees of the grove could be seen. From first appearances, the grove appeared as a small but densely packed forest. At least as far as could be seen from their position.

With the island directly ahead, Hunter adjusted the course of the sailboat, veering off to the left. The shoreline to the east of the island opened up to a broad sandy cove. A few large crabs picked their way across the wet sand exposed by the low tide. The low open beach was punctuated by large rocks and boulders. Wary eyes kept a look out for hidden dangers.

Movement was soon spotted up ahead by some large rocky outcrops. There were two figures just near the shoreline. They were easily recognisable as soldiers in typical Legion armour. Two unattended Legion horses came into view just a short distance up the hillside from the two soldiers.

Hunter had pointed the sailboat directly toward the Legion soldiers. As the boat drew a little closer to their position, it could be seen that the soldiers were engaged in killing large crabs. There were at least half a dozen dead crabs upon the sand. It was not uncommon to witness a Legion patrol culling crabs where the main road passed close to the water.

It would have been about a quarter of an hour before midday as Hunter ran the boat aground upon the sandy beach. Their point of arrival on that eastern side of the lake was more or less directly opposite the western location of the village of Weye. The Imperial City was near to halfway between those two points.

With the bow of the boat beached, all four clambered out and pushed it up onto the sand. Cloaks were quickly discarded and gear was gathered up from the boat. Hunter was only lightly armoured beneath the cloak, wearing a leather outfit similar to Alex's. He slung a two-handed hammer across his back. A sword and a long dagger hung from his belt.

Hunter had rushed to march ahead of the others to meet with the two standing up the beach. Hushed whispers were quickly exchanged before Monika, Alex and Forester had reached their position.

Hunter turned away from the two men in Legion armour. "This is Rivers and Lake." He indicated each of the pair in turn.

Abrupt greetings were exchanged. Alex had only managed a nod. His mouth was half open and he was trying to stifle his amusement at their names. Or rather the frivolity of such ridiculous false names. He finally felt certain about Hunter's name.

In their Legion armour with helmets, Rivers and Lake were not easy to tell apart. Both were Imperial men of average height and average build. Probably both in their thirties. Both had brown eyes and fairly forgettable facial features. About the only obvious things that set them apart were their noses. Rivers had a slightly longer nose. Lake's nose was a little shorter with broader nostrils.

Hunter seemed to take charge. He directed everyone up toward the cluster of large boulders by a rocky outcrop just up the beach. Once they had reached the position behind the rocks, with the trees and bushes between them and the road, they were more or less hidden from view.

In the side of a large rocky outcrop, there was a heavy wooden door set into an opening carved into the rock. A heavy metal bolt across the door was held in place with a large padlock. Clear warning signs were posted upon the door. One sign stated, 'NO ENTRY BY IMPERIAL ORDER'. A second sign indicated, 'UNDER PROTECTION OF THE SYNOD'.

Hunter had firstly issued Rivers and Lake with an enchanted amulet each, without yet explaining the reason. He then proceeded with a basic briefing. He firstly informed them that they would be passing through the Wellspring Cave system to the grove upon the island. They would be retrieving a hidden artefact for direct return to the Imperial Tower.

Hunter detailed the basic layout of the tunnels and the passage through to the island. The nature of the enchanted amulets was explained, along with the harnessed undead and the Synod necromancer currently protecting the caves below. Directions to the location of Ayleid crown buried upon the island were provided. Hunter indicated the enchanted horn fixed to his belt and its purpose. He also informed them of the danger of Thalmor agents also seeking the artefact.

Finally, Hunter explained that the artefact needed to be delivered to the Imperial naval vessel that would be arriving just offshore, and then back to the city at any cost.

With the quick briefing out of the way, Hunter checked that everyone was fully ready to proceed. Of course, Forester, Monika and Alex were already fully prepared. Rivers and Lake needed no more than the brief outline provided.

"Alright," Hunter settled. "Let's get on with this."

Forester moved toward the door. "Shall I take care of the lock?"

"No need." Hunter produced a large metal key from within a pocket inside his leathers and opened the lock to release the bolt to the door.

The sun was high above. Midday had just passed. The heavy wooden door was pulled opened and the six of them began to file inside the entrance to the tunnel.

~O~


	21. Chapter 21

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 21

Loredas the 29th of Sun's Height 4E48

THE AFTERNOON

All six fighters and agents had moved into the entrance of Wellspring Cave. Beyond the immediate vicinity of the open doorway, the tunnel descended into darkness. The passage just below the doorway seemed wide enough for two with some room to spare, but just a few paces ahead it narrowed considerably. The walls of the tunnel seemed to be only partly of natural formation. It was evident that the tunnel had also been carved out like a mining excavation in some places. The ground was a little uneven, but not terribly so. Beyond the entrance, the low height of the ceiling ahead made it appear oppressively uninviting. Still, it seemed high enough in most places to accommodate standing fully upright. Those without helmets would need to watch that they didn't bump their heads nearer to the sides of the tunnel.

Lake had pulled out his torch. He used his flint-striker to ignite the oil soaked linen with well-practised efficiency. Forester seemed slightly miffed. He was just preparing to conjure a flame, but Lake's spring-loaded flint-striker had worked perfectly. Lake had moved up to take the lead.

Rivers had also ignited his torch in the same manner and pulled the door closed behind them. He intended to remain at the rear.

With the door closed, the only source of light came from those two torches. Monika had not made any mention of the nighteye that she and Alex carried. Alex didn't like really like the idea of it anyway, so he wasn't about to bring it up.

Hunter spoke up. "As long as we're all wearing the amulets, the undead shouldn't be a problem. Might get in our way, though… try not to agitate them too much."

Nobody had any comment to add. Everyone held a fair idea of what to expect and what was expected of them.

* * *

The passage immediately ahead was quite narrow. That meant moving along in single file. Hunter had moved to take up position just behind Lake. Monika shifted to follow behind Hunter. Alex shadowed Monika. Forester had glanced back toward Rivers and settled with falling in behind Alex.

The long and narrow passage felt disturbingly confined beneath the low ceiling. Only Lake had a relatively clear view ahead. Yet only as far the light from his torch could actually reach. Given that low ceiling and the steep downward angle of the passage, even the reach of the torchlight seemed limited.

It had to be a good forty paces before Lake had passed comment. "I think the passage is wider up ahead." His voice remained calm. He didn't speak loud enough that Forester could actually make out what was said.

"It should be a bit wider up ahead." Forester suggested. His comment passed without acknowledgment.

A few paces further downward, Lake had slowed and stopped as he tried to peer ahead. Hunter had pulled up behind him, as did Monika. Alex just managed to stop behind Monika, but Forester had stumbled and bumped up against Alex.

"There's movement ahead." Lake spoke quietly.

"What did he say?" Forester whispered.

"Movement ahead." Alex repeated.

Lake took a few cautious steps forward. He drew his blade and held out his torch fully extended. "Looks like a couple of undead."

"What?" Forester whispered.

"Undead, he thinks." Alex relayed.

They all moved forward more slowly.

"They're just standing by the wall." Lake had reported quietly.

"What?" Forester had again whispered.

"I could not hear." Alex responded.

Lake had just neared the spot where the passage widened and veered off to the right. He assumed that it must be the first wider chamber that Hunter had indicated during the briefing. He kept a wary eye upon the two undead that he could see standing by the side of the wall directly ahead. He could not yet see down the wider section veering off to the right. The smell of death had become evident. Lake slowly stepped forward.

Just then, the shadow in the hollow of the wall upon Lake's left had appeared to come alive. A pungent carcass had reached out from the shadow with rotting hands and latched upon Lake's shoulder and his neck. Lake had reacted quickly. He had swung about with his blade and plunged the point into the undead attacker. A warning was forming upon Lake's lips, but no sound emerged. It was too little and far too late. Lake's voice was cut off, as his neck was snapped with a sickening sound. The attacker groaned mournfully.

Hunter had also reacted quickly, though it was too late for Lake. Hunter had drawn his sword. Using both his hands, he had brought his blade down forcefully. He had managed to separate both the forearms from the undead attacker. The hands had remained gripped upon Lake as his lifeless body slumped down to the ground.

Behind Hunter's position, Monika, Alex and Forester had all briefly collided. Forester had taken a step backward and nearly run into Rivers. Alex and Monika had both pressed up against either side of the wall, turning to see what Hunter was doing.

Hunter faced off with the disarmed undead as it groaned at him. Although partially dismembered, the creature was not slowing down. Hunter remained silent as he proceeded to part the creature's head from its body with a single forceful strike. The creature remained standing, even though it was even more ill equipped to retaliate. Its flailing stumps still reached out for Hunter. He used his boot to kick the thing off balance. It had stumbled and fallen backward, rolling and tumbling the short distance across the wider chamber ahead.

"The undead are attacking." Hunter declared the obvious.

Monika and Alex had already swung their shields into position and had drawn their respective melee weapons. Forester had drawn his blade and dagger. Rivers had also drawn his blade, but kept hold of his torch. Lake's torch was lying upon the ground near Hunter, not providing so much useful lighting.

The undead creature that Hunter kicked over had come to rest up against the other two creatures standing by the wall ahead. It had stopped with its headless end at the feet of the one on the left and its legs kicked and bucked at the feet of the one on the right. Those two creatures groaned in a macabre harmony as the armless and headless carcass furiously struggled to right itself. It didn't seem to be having any success. The two upright creatures looked toward Hunter and started trying to step over the writhing obstacle about their feet.

"Lake's dead and we've got big trouble." Hunter stated in a loud voice.

Nobody else would be able to join in unless Hunter moved ahead into the larger space. He wasn't confident of taking on two of the undead at once. There was also the partially dismembered, but still flailing creature that he had knocked aside. Other than retreat, there was no other option. With his blades at the ready, Hunter stepped over Lake's lifeless body and moved forward into the wider chamber.

Monika and Alex had followed Hunter into the space ahead with their own weapons and shields at the ready. Forester struggled to shove through to join the fray. By that stage, he was fully frustrated with being stuck near the back of things.

Hunter had moved aside to engage the creature upon the right, remaining fully mindful of the squirming and jiggling carcass tangling the legs of the two upright threats. Monika had focussed upon the one on the left. Alex had managed to find enough room next to Monika's left side to assist. Once Forester had managed to get through, he had quickly glanced ahead down the dark tunnel, before electing to provide assistance to Hunter. At least, as much as space would permit. Rivers was forced to stand back with his torch held up. There wasn't enough room for him get involved. In any case, the others needed him to continue providing sufficient lighting to see what they were doing.

Although it had not been exactly intentional, having that jerking and bouncing creature still struggling about the legs of the other two had proved fully advantageous. As long as care was taken to avoid its frenzied movement, the full reach of the two standing attackers remained somewhat restricted.

Hunter had been striking at the creature on the right with his sword. His movement had prevented Forester from getting close enough to do anything. After several ineffective attempts, Hunter had managed to remove one of its grasping hands. In three messy slices, he had eventually separated the other arm at the elbow. That only meant that it had no hands to grasp him with. The missing appendages did little to divert its furious attempts to get at him.

Monika had bashed at the one on the left with shield and mace. She had caved in the right side of its head and busted up its arm on her right. That had actually served to make the continuing movement of that twisted arm a little more unpredictable.

Alex had been trying to hack at the arm on the left side. With more luck than skill, he managed to take off its hand. It continued to try to get at him with its rotting stump.

Hunter had finally succeeded in decapitating in his own opponent. It was nothing like the clean strike he had previously performed. It took two strikes to cut through and a third to cut through the sinew that left its head dangling from its shoulder.

Alex found an opening to thrust his blade through the eye socket of the undead creature on the left. Monika had reacted in perfect cooperation. As she saw Alex's blade bury into its head, she had used her shield to slam at the creature's arms as she struck at its head with her mace. Her blow had knocked its head back forcefully, effectively assisting Alex to quickly free his sword.

"How do we kill these things?" Alex called out. Previously, he had always remained silent during battle.

Monika responded. "They're already dead." She had no better answer.

"How do we stop them, then?" Alex was not feeling at all comfortable with the circumstance. An opponent that could not be killed was well outside of his limited range of experience.

"Forester?" Monika called out. It was obviously a question.

"Divines. I don't bloody know everything." Forester's voice had sounded uncharacteristically harried.

Hunter weighed in. "These two are already headless."

Forester was no necromancer. He raked his memory for something useful. "Try for the hearts."

Hunter had heard. He held no better idea. He drew his long dagger and used it to try to deflect the flailing stumps. He hacked away as he sought a suitable opening. After several failed attempts, Hunter had finally managed to drive his sword deeply through the heart of the creature.

The undead body that Hunter had skewered had spasmed just briefly, then slumped back up against the wall with Hunter's blade still buried in its chest. He had tried to pull the sword free as it collapsed, but it was caught in place.

In cooperation with Monika, Alex had been trying to get his own blade into the heart of the creature on the left. He had stabbed into its chest a few times. However, with all the frantic movement, he had yet to actually strike the heart.

The flailing corpse upon the ground had kicked at Hunters legs as he was drawn in closer by the slumping body that still held his blade. Hunter brought his boot down upon one leg, but the other leg threatened to knock him off balance.

Forester had tried to move up to assist Hunter.

Alex had finally managed to find his target. His blade pierced the creature's chest through the heart. Monika's last strike with her shield had coincided with Alex's successful thrust. The force of Monika's bash caused the undead to fall over to the left in front of Alex. Alex had continued to twist his blade in its heart as it spasmed and collapsed all the way down to the ground.

Forester had used his boot to press down hard upon the wriggling creature on the ground. Taking careful aim, he drove the blade of his sword through its heart. It took just a moment for it to fully cease its movement.

Because of the angle that it had fallen, Hunter's sword was caught firmly against the ribs of the creature that he had disabled. He struggling to shift the dead weight and pull his blade free.

Alex was experiencing a similar problem with the one he had despatched. Monika was trying to help by kicking the carcass over to a better position for the sword to be withdrawn.

Just then, another groaning noise was heard coming from down the tunnel. Forester was the first to react. He spotted the dark figure emerging from the shadows. It was another undead creature stumbling toward them from the far end of the small chamber. His sword was still buried in the chest of the body upon the ground. He ignored his dagger as he dropped it. A rushed whisper passed Foresters lips.

Rivers had started to shift from his position, but Forester had been much quicker. He had released a two-handed fireball at the approaching undead body. The conflagration had struck the figure square in the chest. The creature continued to lumber forward, then stumbled a bit. The flames had not persisted long, but it was well charred. After a second fireball, the attacker convulsed briefly, then fell down to the ground fully inanimate.

"Well then, fire also does the job." Forester continued to peer ahead into the darkness, listening intently for any further movement.

Rivers had moved up beside Forester, holding his torch high. They neither saw nor heard anything.

Hunter had taken a few bruises to his legs. Aside from that, no one had sustained any injuries from the melee. No one except for Lake.

Alex had finally pulled his sword free. He wiped the blade repeatedly upon the remains of the cloth wrapped about the torso of the carcass. With the passing of the immediate battle, the putrid stench of the opened corpses had become far more noticeable.

Hunter had also finally managed to twist his sword free of the body. He had heard something drop and bounce across the ground as his blade came free. He didn't see what it was or where it went.

Forester and Rivers had continued to monitor the direction ahead.

"Looks clear, for now." Rivers advised.

Hunter had poked about with his sword and strained to see what it was that had fallen as he withdrew his blade from the corpse. "Bring that torch over here."

After a short pause, River's responded and moved toward Hunter. Forester continued to look down toward where the chamber narrowed into the next stretch of the tunnel.

Monika had taken hold of the hilt of Forester's sword. Since it was firmly jammed into the corpse's chest, she used it as a lever to drag the body aside a little, before trying to pull the blade free.

Hunter had continued to pick about with the tip of his sword. He soon found what he thought he was looking for. It was something hard, but it was covered in putrefied filth. He continued to poke at the object.

Hunter gave voice to his thoughts. "What is this?"

Monika and Alex had both looked on with some curiosity. As did Rivers.

Forester had finally torn himself away staring into the darkness. "What is what?" He moved over toward Hunter to see what he was talking about.

Hunter stepped back a little to provide Forester with better access.

Forester bent down upon one knee to look at the object more closely. He picked up his dagger and scraped at the mess covering the object. "Give me that torch." He reached out with his other hand and took the torch from Rivers. He continued to examine the object with his dagger point.

"Hmm." Forester murmured.

"Well?" Monika prompted. She kneeled next to Forester.

Forester responded slowly. "Well, it's a… a soul gem. A black soul gem."

Nobody else said anything.

"Well, I'd say that the necromancer has used black soul gems… embedded in the heart. I can't say that I'm familiar with the process… but that's what it looks like."

From behind Monika, Alex interrupted. "The amulets are not working."

Forester looked up. "Well, I don't know why not…"

"What if the necromancer is dead?" Monika had made the suggestion.

Forester considered a moment. "Well, it's not exactly my field. But from what I understand, if the necromancer that animated these undead thralls was dead… then they shouldn't still be up and about." He paused again. "Of course, it could be some sort of process that I know nothing at all about."

Alex spoke again. "So, they are not harnessed?"

"I suppose that the ah… the tuning of these amulets could be wrong. The necromancer could have changed something. He didn't know we were coming."

Monika locked eyes with Forester. Her expression sought an answer.

"I don't really know." Forester conceded.

Hunter spoke up. "It doesn't matter. We have a job to do. We need to keep moving." His tone indicated that the matter was settled. He stepped past the others and retrieved the torch from near Lake's lifeless body.

Monika handed Forester his sword as they both stood up.

Hunter moved back though the others toward the descending tunnel ahead. "I'll take the lead."

"Just a moment." It was Forester. He moved up to Hunter's position. "I can try a detection spell."

Hunter looked to Forester briefly. Without a word, he passed a terse nod of acceptance and stepped to one side.

Forester sheathed his blades. He composed himself just briefly and then whispered his spell with the palms of his hands held outward toward the tunnel ahead. A subtle glow of vapour emanated from his hands, accompanied by a faint whooshing sound. He remained perfectly still for a moment. Once the effect had fully faded, Forester had opened his eyes. He continued to stare toward the tunnel for another strained moment.

Forester spoke slowly. "Well… it's hard to tell. I could… I could detect… faint signs only." He pointed slightly downward to the left, waving his hand in a short arc. "In that general direction." Forester turned back to the others. "Probably more undead, I'd say. At least five or six." He didn't sound too sure of himself.

"Probably undead?" Monika prompted.

Forester shrugged. "From what I can tell." He paused. "Didn't seem… defined enough to be any living souls." He must have used a broad type detection spell.

Alex tried to interrupt. "But what about…"

Hunter cut him off. "We need to stay on task. We know what to do. Straight through the heart. If there's anyone else down here, there's no other way on or off the island, except through here." Hunter looked to each of the others. "If there's nothing else, then we should get moving."

Accepting Hunter's authority, no one else had any argument or comment.

* * *

With sword in one hand and torch in the other, Hunter started off toward the tunnel ahead. Forester followed immediately behind. Monika, then Alex behind Forester and Rivers at the rear of the line.

The distance along that next section of the tunnel was even longer than the first section. The descent remained quite steep for much of that stretch. Eventually, the tunnel appeared to have reached its lowest point and levelled out. Just beyond that point, it opened up to the much larger chamber. They had yet to encounter any more of the undead creatures.

Hunter had slowed and moved far more cautiously at the approach to that larger space. There was no apparent source of light inside the chamber. The only light ahead came from the torch that Hunter carried.

Although he fully anticipated the presence of the undead ahead, Hunter could not yet see nor hear anything. He paused just short of the wider chamber. He cautiously turned and whispered to Forester. "We don't want to get caught in the narrow space. We should all move very carefully into the chamber ahead. But only just inside." His expression and gesture indicated that Forester should pass that on.

Hunter checked the wall just by the end of the tunnel as Forester communicated with the others. There was no danger in sight. Hunter moved into the chamber and shifted along the wall to the right. Forester followed quickly behind him. Monika and Alex had joined them as Rivers moved up to stand just by the tunnel opening. The five of them then stood in a line along the outer edge of the larger chamber.

There was no obvious threat within the limited range of the light provided by the two torches. They could only see just so far. There was something just ahead of them where the torchlight faded to shadow. It looked like a wooden wall. Presumably, it was part of the living quarters that they had been told about. There seemed to be a drop-off over to their left. Droplets of water seeping from the ceiling could be heard hitting the surface of a body of water. The echoes of those drips were the only sounds that broke the eerie silence of the cavern. The dripping water was a reminder that the chamber would have been beneath Lake Rumare.

It might have seemed preferable to find the undead creatures lined up ready to attack, or at least to hear their moans and groans indicating their presence and location. The relative silence of the darkness seemed rather more unnerving.

From the right-hand side of their line, Hunter had taken just half a step forward with his torch held high and fully extended. Rivers had done the same on the left. It made little difference. They could still see no sign of the undead. There had been no reaction at all to the minor shift in the lighting.

Hunter edged back and whispered to Forester. "Have you got anything?"

The question seemed rather open ended. "I could try a detection…"

"Won't help the rest of us see." Hunter cut him off.

"I know a lighting spell…" Forester paused. "But that might stir them up quite a bit."

"That's alright." Hunter acknowledged. "We just need to be ready." Hunter spoke up so that the others could hear, but still spoke fairly quietly. "Forester's going to light things up. Everyone get ready for trouble."

Forester paused just a moment to sheath his blades, then began to whisper. In that same instant, Monika had decided to holster her mace. She also slung her shield and drew her bow instead. Each of Forester's hand had begun to glow. With subtle whooshing sounds, he had released a ball of light from each hand. One sailed through the space ahead of him, passing the wooden structure and striking the surface of the cavern wall near another narrow tunnel. The reflection from water in that tunnel had briefly come into view. The other ball of light was launched off toward the left. That one had passed over a narrow stone bridge that crossed a chasm and stuck to the lower abdomen of an undead creature standing over by the far wall of the chamber.

The faint sounds made by the dripping water were suddenly accompanied by the groans of the undead.

One creature was standing just by the side of the wooden structure immediately ahead of Forester and Hunter. It had been standing only just beyond the reach of the Hunter's torchlight. The ball of light that had just sailed past its head alerted it. Another creature was just emerging from the narrow tunnel where the ball of light had stuck to the wall.

The undead creature with the ball of light stuck to it had seemed quite agitated. Its groaning and arm flailing had alerted another two that soon emerged from the shadows over the far side of that chasm that truncated the middle of the chamber.

Forester was fumbling to draw his blades. Hunter wasted no time. He had none to waste. The creature nearest to him was already starting to move in his direction.

Monika had stepped ahead of Forester with her bow at the ready, taking aim at the other one further ahead near that tunnel.

Alex and Rivers were taking measure of the situation over to the left. The creature with the ball of light stuck to it was starting to make its way onto the stone bridge. The other two behind seemed to behave vaguely confused, but were shifting to follow the one on the move. There was enough distance involved that Alex had decided he had enough time to hurriedly switch to his bow.

Just as Hunter had started to engage the nearest of the undead, Monika had loosed her first arrow at the one coming up behind it. After three rapidly delivered shots, Monika had managed to place an arrow into the heart of the oncoming attacker.

Hunter found that he needed to deal with the flailing and grasping arms of the creature he had engaged. He had dropped the torch and kept both hands upon the hilt of his sword in order to maximise the force of his blows. He managed to remove one of the forearms and he had partially severed the other one at the shoulder, rendering it fairly ineffective.

Alex had been firing upon the advancing creature wearing the ball of light. It made for a perfectly visible target. However, because of its erratic movement, Alex's first four arrows had struck just every part of its chest except for the heart.

Rivers had his sword at the ready. He stayed well clear of Alex's activity. He was holding back, waiting for the attackers to come to him.

Of course, Monika first target had gone down well short of Hunter's engagement.

With its arms becoming less of a problem, Hunter had managed to strike at his opponent's chest. After a couple of near misses, he successfully drove his blade into its heart, rendering it inert. He took care to avoid getting his sword stuck like the previous time.

Forester had no opportunity to become involved with fighting the two attackers in the immediate vicinity. Monika and Hunter had already dealt with them.

Just as the creature coming across the bridge had drawn uncomfortable close, Alex had succeeded in burying an arrow into its heart. The corpse had collapsed into a sliding heap just two paces in front of him. Landing upon its side, the glowing ball on its abdomen still provided some additional light. That one was down, but there were two more coming along not all that far behind.

Hunter had picked up the torch and stopped to check if there were any more behind the ones that he and Monika had despatched.

Forester had turned his attention toward the two coming across the bridge toward them. Monika had also shifted her attention in that direction. She had fired off several arrows, but none had found the necessary spot to bring either one of them down.

Sensibly, Alex had taken three good steps backward as he discarded his bow and reached for sword and shield.

Rivers still seemed fully prepared as he continued to wait to meet the attack. Forester had just about moved into position a few paces to one side of Rivers.

Monika had just stopped firing to avoid hitting any of her own people.

Alex was moving up between Rivers and Forester, but holding back just enough so that each of them would enough room for the approaching engagement.

The two undead came into range. The flailing arms were the biggest problem. It was not easy to get a blade into the heart with all that constant movement.

Rivers and Forester engaged one each. Rivers on the left and Forester on the right.

Rivers had begun by hacking away at the arms. Alex had cautiously moved up to assist him. Since Rivers was holding the torch he wasn't able to hold up a shield. Staying clear of Rivers' strikes, Alex tried to use his own shield to bash the creature's arms back, hoping to provide River's with better opportunities for an effective strike.

Monika had observed what Alex had started doing. She had closed the distance to the side of Forester to start doing the same.

Hunter had stayed back with his torch held out. He had switched between keeping an eye upon the activity of the others and scanning about as far as he could see for any other attackers. By that time, the two balls of light that Forester had conjured were both beginning to wink out.

Rivers had taken several fingers and half a hand from his opponent. Alex had managed a particularly forceful blow with the edge of his shield that had partially dislodged its left arm from the shoulder socket. Rivers continued to slice at the other arm, seeking the opportunity to strike through the heart.

Forester struck out at his own adversary. He had managed a few good attempts at piercing the heart, but just missed each time. He was trying to end it quickly. He used the long dagger in his left hand to deflect the grasping appendages. A dangling half-severed hand provided unwelcome distraction. Monika's work with the shield had served to keep the creature off balance, but it wasn't as though the animated corpse could be worn down like a living opponent. Forester's determined focus had paid dividends sooner, rather than later. A well-placed strike had just gone through the heart of the undead creature as he tried to ignore the dangling hand twitching at the side of his helmet.

Rivers and Alex were still sparing with their opponent. Alex had just employed a strategy that actually worked far better than he expected. As he lunged forward to bash the creature back, he had managed to get his right leg in such a position that he succeeded in forcing the corpse off-balance against his leg and he pushed it over backward to the ground. Rivers had moved forward upon the left to take advantage. Alex leapt into position on the right. He used the edge of his shield to press down upon its throat to hold it down. Rivers took aim and drove his blade through the heart.

With all the undead that they knew of rendered inanimate, everyone had paused a moment to take a wary breath, still looking about for any sign of further danger.

Hunter had taken a few steps toward the wooden structure in the chamber. It looked like no more than a small hut. In place of a door, there was drape hung across a narrow doorway. He was just about to look inside, when a splashing noise was heard coming from the narrow tunnel just ahead. Another of the undead came lumbering up the tunnel from the darkness. That one was already headless. That didn't seem to affect it all. The rest of it was more or less intact. It seemed to be headed directly for Hunter.

"Another one." Hunter called out. He prepared himself for the attacker.

Monika had stepped away from Forester's position. She moved along in a wider arc so that she was off to the side of the direct line between Hunter and the approaching creature.

As the stumbling corpse reached the point just a few steps short of Hunter, Monika had lunged ahead to bash it from behind with her shield. Her tactic worked perfectly. She had managed to knock it with enough force that it had over balanced and fallen flat on its front. As the undead creature flailed to right itself, Monika had used her shield to flip it over in the direction it was trying to roll. Hunter had taken proper advantage. The moment that its chest was exposed to him, he thrust his sword straight through its heart on the very first attempt.

Hunter had looked up quickly to see if any other activity was apparent. "Any more?" it was an open question.

All of the others were scanning about in each direction as far as they could see. The range of the light from those two torches didn't extend very far.

Alex had again considered that he was carrying a vial of nighteye. However, he dismissed the notion. Unless Monika suggested it, he wasn't that keen to use it.

Hunter spoke up again. "Forester. Can you…?"

"Of course." Forester anticipated the meaning. He whispered the appropriate spell and launched another two balls of light. He launched one glowing orb toward that same location by the narrow tunnel with the water. He sent the other one across the far side of the chamber. It stuck upon the wall of the chamber over that side.

Everyone peered out across the chamber. There was no sign of any other undead that they could see. Of course, the lighting remained rather limited.

"Can you get any more light?" Hunter asked.

Forester shook his head. "Only two at a time, I'm afraid."

Hunter accepted the response without comment. Rivers and Alex had edged near to the chasm. It was far too wide to jump across, hence the bridge. Rivers' torchlight reflected the water in the chasm below. It wasn't that much of a drop down to the surface of the water. Only perhaps half his full height.

"Northwind." Hunter called Monika over with a wave of his hand. "I want to check inside." He indicated the wooden hut.

Monika had joined Hunter. He passed the torch to her and drew his sword and dagger. Hunter stood by the drape that covered the doorway and pulled it open with his left hand. Nothing had leapt out from the shadows beyond the reach of the torchlight. Hunter edged forward. Monika took hold of the drape as she followed with the torch.

Inside the wooden structure, there was a small desk directly ahead with a chair. Two lockup chests on the ground beside it to the right. To the right of the doorway, a narrow bookshelf was stacked with as many books as it could hold. Just to the left of the doorway was a small table with an old lantern. The left side of the small structure was hidden behind two drapes parted slightly at the middle.

Hunter had eased the three and half steps to the drapes. Using his sword, he pushed the drapes aside to the right. There was a bed behind them. The lifeless body of the necromancer was lying upon the bed.

Monika moved up with the torchlight. Hunter could not see any immediate cause for the necromancer's state. He was an older Imperial man, but not so old that he should have died of old age. There was no blood. No obvious wounds. No expulsion of fluids about the mouth or nose. Hunter leaned in a little closer to examine the man's throat. Still nothing obvious to Hunter.

Hunter turned toward the doorway of the structure and called out. "Forester."

Forester had just launched another two light balls across the chamber after the previous two had expired. He turned toward the direction of Hunter's call, then strode over to the wooden structure.

Monika had shuffled to one side of the hut with torch in hand. Hunter had moved past her to step outside.

Hunter met Forester at the doorway. "Can you take a look at this?" He indicated the inside of the structure with a tilt of his head.

"Of course." Forester shuffled into the hut as Hunter remained outside. Monika had pointed Forester in the right direction.

Forester examined the Necromancer's body for a few short moments, then stepped back away. Forester exited the structure. Monika followed just behind.

"Well?" Hunter prompted.

Forester looked to Hunter. "Well, if you're going to ask me how he died… I'm going to have to tell you that I don't know."

Hunter sought more. "Not a clue?"

Forester shook his head. "I can't see anything. I would estimate that he hasn't been dead all that long. I'd say it probably happened today."

Monika interjected. "What if the undead had turned on him?" She didn't really believe that, but said it anyway.

Forester shook his head again. "Shouldn't be possible, as far I know. There's no indication of… well, of anything. Nothing obvious anyway. Not without proper testing for unusual poisons or magical…"

Hunter cut him short. "Not today. Somebody else must have been here. Might still be here." Hunter's expression indicated that he expected something from Forester.

Forester understood without seeking confirmation. He stepped to a convenient position and whispered a spell with hands stretched outward. His face indicated a strained measure of concentration. After a short pause, he had whispered a second spell in much the same fashion. He paused again to contemplate.

Alex and Rivers had moved back toward the rest to see what Forester had learned.

Forester finally spoke. "Nothing. I can't detect anything living or undead within range of my spells. Well, nothing but us."

"Then, we're wasting our time." Hunter settled. "We need get up to the island."

No one disputed Hunter conclusions.

* * *

Hunter had taken the torch back from Monika and assumed the leading position again. Forester had rushed to converge upon the second position. Monika followed next with Alex behind her. Rivers was content to remain at the back with the second torch.

Hunter led the party across the bridge to the other side of the chamber. He headed for the narrow tunnel opening at the far corner of that chamber. It was diagonally opposite from where they had firstly entered that larger cavern.

The narrow tunnel turned a sharp bend to the right after a short distance. From there, the climb had become much steeper. They continued along the tunnel for another lengthy distance. It slowly became wider and far less cramped.

Hunter had called a brief halt in that wider section of the tunnel. He turned to Forester and asked him to check ahead with his detection spells. The path ahead continued to reflect no indication of living or unliving souls.

The tunnel ahead continued to climb steeply. It had remained comfortably broad as it veered off to the right a little, then back toward the left, then again angled slightly toward the right. The last part had seemed the steepest.

Just short of the top of the ascent, the tunnel had narrowed again. A heavy wooden door marked the end of tunnel.

Hunter had pulled up just short of the door. He turned to Forester again and asked him to check beyond the heavy wooden door. Forester had cast his detection spells. Once again, he had reported that he could detect nothing or nobody within range of his spells.

Hunter remained cautious, but there was no credible reason to delay any further.

* * *

The door to the island was swung open. Daylight flooded the immediate area about the exit from the tunnel. Hunter peered outside. He then took a few cautious steps outside and continued to look about in each direction. From a first glance, the grove appeared empty, just as Forester had indicated.

"Looks clear." Hunter reported. "Stay alert."

The others slowly filed out of the tunnel into the clearing immediately outside.

The exit of the tunnel emerged from the side of a large stone formation rising up behind them. There were a couple of rocky outcrops just off to the left. The nearer one was covered in grass. The spacing of the trees nearest to the tunnel exit remained somewhat broad. The grove was much more densely populated further afield. The dappled afternoon sunlight filtered down from above through the heavy foliage. Directly ahead, the walls of the Imperial City could just be seen through the trees to the west. Over to the right, stone objects could be seen through the trees and bushes of the grove. There was a low stone platform with a stone chest set upon it. At either side of that platform, stood a stone cauldron. Strange purple flames arose from each one. They looked remarkably like the ones at the Arcane University grounds.

Hunter had tossed the torch to the ground near the stone formation behind. He doused the flames in the dirt with his boot. It was still too hot to hang it from his belt.

Rivers did the same with his own torch.

Forester stepped forward a little further from the tunnel exit. He had decided to cast yet another detection spell. He felt as though he must have missed something.

Hunter had shifted to check around to the right of the rock formation. Monika fell into step to follow him.

Rivers took the initiative to check around left side. Alex figured that he should go along with Rivers.

Forester finally seemed satisfied that they were alone upon the island. Hunter and Monika had spotted nothing unusual. Nor had Rivers or Alex.

Returning back to the small clearing by the tunnel exit, Hunter spoke up. "No sign of anyone or anything."

No one disagreed with his assessment.

"Let's get this thing, then." Hunter waved his hand in the direction of the stone chest near the middle of the grove.

Hunter headed through the trees and bushes toward the stone chest with the purple flames at either side. Everyone else followed behind him.

As they neared the stone chest, Alex had hung back a little. He turned a wary eye toward those purple flames, fully intending to keep well clear of them. Only Monika had noticed. She also held back a little, just a step ahead of Alex.

"What is it for?" Alex's referred to the stone chest.

"I think it's uh…" Monika wasn't really sure.

Forester had heard the question. "It's a curing chest. For mages staffs." He could have elaborated further, but left it at that.

Hunter stood just by the stone curing chest. He turned to the west and looked toward city just as they had been instructed. He could see more trees in that direction and some larger boulders by the edge of the island, but not the six smaller stones that they were looking for.

Hunter had indicated the proper direction with a wave of his hand and a jerk of his head. "This way."

They all followed Hunter as he walked through the trees in that direction. It was not until he was almost on top of it, that Hunter had spotted the grouping of six stones. They were just behind a couple of low bushes only about ten paces short of where the cliff face dropped off to the lake below. Three of the stones were more like small boulders. As described from the translation of the scroll, the nearest stone was much smaller. Hunter stepped through the bushes and examined the stone. Although it was smaller than the larger stones, it was not all that small. It still came to half way up his shin. There was no indication that it had been disturbed at all.

"I might need a hand with this." Hunter suggested.

Forester was peering over the bush at the stone. He hadn't moved at all.

Rivers moved past Forester to stand opposite Hunter. They both bent down and sought purchase about the stone. Monika and Alex had moved up beside Forester and watched on. The stone wasn't wide enough for more than two people to get at it.

At first, it seemed as though it might not shift. Further indication that it had not been disturbed in recent times. With some effort, Hunter and Rivers had finally managed to move the stone and they rolled it over, exposing a shallow depression underneath.

"It should be down here." Hunter indicated. He drew his long dagger and started digging out the dirt. He hadn't gone that far when his blade struck something hard. "There's something here." He kept digging. It soon became apparent that it was the top of a small wooden box buried at a shallow depth. Once he had dug enough of the dirt away, he found that the top of that box was actually a removable lid. Hunter managed to lever the lid from the box and tossed it aside. He reached inside and gingerly lifted out the object from inside the box.

Hunter held up the Aylied crown. It did not look like a typical crown, not in the more traditional sense. It looked more like an ornate helmet with stylised horns at the top. It was somewhat reminiscent of the style of modern-day elven armour, only far more elaborately decorated.

"Is that it?" Alex asked.

"Looks like." Hunter decided.

"It certainly looks like an Ayleid crown to me." Forester agreed.

"You've seen that kind of thing before?" Monika prompted.

"Well, no." Forester conceded, rubbing his cropped goatee. "But that's what I would expect one to look like."

"Alright, then." Hunter settled. "We all know what we need to do." He reached for the enchanted horn upon his belt. He lifted the horn to his lips. It made no sound.

Alex asked the obvious question. "Did it work?"

Hunter didn't appear so surprised that it made no noise. "I expect so."

Rivers spoke up. "There's a naval vessel headed this way." He was looking over the cliff towards the north. The mast of a ship could just be seen moving toward the eastern side of the lake. The Imperial flag was flying at the top of the mast.

Hunter had returned to horn to his belt. He kept hold of the Ayleid crown. "We should get moving."

Everyone turned back toward the tunnel entrance that led back to the shore. With the magical barrier that surrounded the cliffs, it was the only way to get off the island. They headed back through the trees of the grove.

Approaching the small clearing, they suddenly learned that they were not as alone as they had thought. Two male archers in unusual elven armour had just stepped into view from the right-hand side of the large stone formation ahead. The air seemed to shimmer about the other side of the rock. Then, another figure appeared in place of the shimmering effect. It was an armoured elven mage holding a staff of some sort. They were obviously Thalmor agents like the ones that were encountered during the Bravil mission.

"That's far enough, I should think." It was the Altmer mage that spoke. He had a determined, but smug expression upon his face.

Everything happened quite quickly. The elven archers already had their bows drawn at the ready. They release their first shots almost immediately.

One arrow had just grazed Rivers' armoured leg as he instinctively dodged to the side, drawing his sword in the same instant.

The other arrow had been aimed at Hunter. The head of the arrow had just penetrated outer part of his left shoulder. Ignoring the sharp pain, Hunter had maintained his grip upon the crown. He had dropped and rolled to the side, drawing his sword as he did so.

Forester had quickly whispered a spell. He had considered the Altmer mage to be the greatest potential threat. As he released a single-handed fireball aimed at the mage, he was already preparing to conjure a second in his alternate hand.

The Thalmor mage had been fully prepared for Forester's attack. An outstretched hand had harnessed a warding shield that deflected and dissipated the magical fireballs.

Both Monika and Alex had brought their bows to the ready. Monika had quickly decided that the best course of action would be to commence firing upon the archers. Alex followed her lead. If they couldn't take them down quickly enough, then she hoped to keep them busy long enough for Hunter and Rivers to force them into a melee situation.

Forester had continued to launch fireballs. The Thalmor mage's shields continued to hold. It remained fully uncertain which of them would falter first.

Monika and Alex had fired at the Altmer archers, distracting them from firing upon Hunter and Rivers. A few arrows had glanced off the archers' armour without direct result. The indirect result being that most of the arrows fired by the Altmer had failed to seriously strike either Hunter or Rivers as they tried to dodge forward. Still, both of the Imperial Agents had taken grazed strikes to their armour. Additionally, Rivers jaw had been nicked and Hunter had some blood on his left thigh.

Monika had managed an arrow strike that sliced through a weak point in the armour of one of the Altmer archers. It struck near the elbow. A grazing strike, rather than a direct penetration of the arrow head. That had drawn some attention. Although the other archer continued to focus upon Hunter and Rivers, the one that Monika had nicked briefly shifted attention to fire in her direction. Monika had anticipated the likelihood. Her animated dodge had produced the preferred result. The arrow whistled past her without making contact. Still, she held some concern that Alex might not be so quick.

Forester had continued his engagement with the Thalmor mage. Forester had maintained his offensive. He had yet to display any sign of weakness. The Altmer had remained on the defensive, but not showing any sign of weakness either.

Hunter and Rivers had just drawn close enough to produce reaction from the Altmer archers. In practised motion, both archers had simultaneously used their bows as though they were melee weapons. They had struck out at Hunter and Rivers with one hand as they drew their blades with the other. As their swords came forward, they had released the bows and taken hold of their shields.

Hunter had engaged one Altmer with his sword and used the Ayleid crown as both distraction and weapon. Rivers fought with his blade and the shield that he had been previously unable to utilise in the dark cavern.

Of course, Alex had stopped firing arrows in that direction. Monika had already shifted her attention to the Thalmor mage. If it weren't for his elven armour, he would have seemed easy to take.

The Altmer mage had sensed the shift in the circumstance. His lips had been moving. Just as one of Forester's fireballs had been deflected, the mage released a different conjuration from his open hand.

The spell had struck Forester squarely. He began to stumble. That stumble became a tumble as Forester fell limp. Just as he was falling, the mage had directed his staff toward Forester's collapsing form. Forester was bodily flung by an unseen force that projected out from the mage's staff. He was hurled backward and bounced off two trees before landing somewhere beyond the activity of the battle.

Monika and Alex had continued firing upon the Thalmor mage with no discernible result. With Forester down, the danger had just escalated notably. They had both kept moving and dodging as much as the circumstances would permit.

Alex was hoping to manage a headshot and take him down instantly. However, that had not yet come to pass. He had also just considered the resistance to paralysis potion that he had, but there was no time for that.

Monika was paying special attention to the danger of the staff. Shooting it from his hand would be advantageous, but seemed rather unlikely.

The melee activity to the right of the mage had reached furious climax. One Altmer had just gone down. The deed completed by the Hunter's blade. However, Hunter had just gone down at the same moment from an injury that he had received. The extent of that injury remained unclear to anyone else.

Alex's dodging had just placed him nearer to the melee activity. The second Altmer appeared injured, but so did Rivers. From the corner of his vision, Alex had witness Rivers go down from a strike delivered by his Altmer opponent. Alex had considered his sword, but there was certainly no time for that. He had swung about with his bow. His arrow had travelled the short distance from the bow and gone directly through the eye socket of the surprised Altmer.

Alex had turned back around just in time to be struck by the force of a spell launched from the Thalmor mage. It was a paralysis spell. The staff had also waved in his direction. Alex had vaguely felt the force slamming him into the ground.

Monika had continued firing arrows and dodging with great determination. She had been seeking the opportunity to close the distance. She wanted nothing more than to smash that mage in his smug face with her mace. Even more so, in the moments that just passed by.

Alex remained fully conscious as he lay upon the ground. He could feel a great deal of pain in various parts of his body. He didn't know how bad it might be. At that point, he didn't really care. His greatest concern was for Monika.

Alex found that he wasn't quite as fully paralysed as he might have expected. He found that he could move his left hand. He struggled to shift his hand to the resistance potion just inside his pocket. He didn't know whether it was through force of will or something else, but he managed to withdraw the vial and bring it up toward his mouth. He swallowed it all. He considered a healing spell, but he didn't want to draw attention or reveal his condition. He tried to look like he was down for good. At least until he was more able to make a difference.

Through squinted eyes, Alex had witness Monika's fate. She was downed by a paralysis spell and flung hard to the ground. Alex was still unable to get up. It had taken every measure of his will to contain his anger and anguish, concealing his frustratingly slow recovery.

The Altmer paused to survey his handiwork, seeming quite pleased with himself. No one moved but the Thalmor mage. It seemed that everyone was either dead or severely wounded. Although Alex was not quite as fully incapacitated as he had made out, he tried to maintain that appearance for just a little longer.

The Altmer mage ignored his fallen comrades as he collected the crown from where it had fallen to the ground. Satisfied that he had neutralised all opposition, he turned and headed for the tunnel. He had already demonstrated that he had the means to fully cloak his presence. Now that he had the crown, it was reasonable to presume that he intended to make use of that skill to effect his escape. He could probably just walk quietly by any unsuspecting opposition.

Alex had just regained sufficient control of his body. He realised that his sword was not in its sheath. He couldn't see where the sword had fallen. It was actually just behind the tree to his side, but he hadn't noticed. He could see Hunter's two-handed hammer just nearby on the ground. It must have come off during the battle.

Alex wasn't fully confident of what he was considering, but he wasn't about to allow that to deter him. He had concluded that it all come down him at that point.

The Thalmor mage now had his back to Alex.

Alex tried to move quickly and quietly. He moved forward in a painful half-crouched movement, collecting Hunter's hammer along the way. Then, he rushed ahead toward the Thalmor mage as he brought the hammer back, intending to bring it down with all the force that he could muster.

Just as Alex had drawn near, the Altmer had turned with a surprised look upon his previously smug face. He must have heard Alex coming.

The Altmer was holding the crown to his chest in one hand. He was reaching for a sheathed dagger as Alex came upon him.

Alex was fully committed at that point. He brought the hammer down forcefully. As he did so, he had released a furious shout. Even as he did it, he wasn't sure if he had actually meant to do so. "FUS." It was that shout in the dragon tongue.

In that very instant, the hammer had struck the Altmer's head, then continued downward striking the Ayleid crown.

Alex had thought that he had seen a bright flash of light. That was the final thought that crossed his mind before his world was engulfed by darkness.

~O~


	22. Chapter 22

Accident and Destiny

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 22

Middas the 9th of Last Seed 4E48

Monika returned to the main room. She had gone directly to the small statuette representing Arkay that sat upon a chest of drawers by the back wall. For the third time that morning, she kneeled down by the statue and prayed to the Divine of life and death. It was probably coming up on eleven. She still felt guilty over leaving the previous day. She had returned later that evening with some haste. Nothing had changed during her absence, but she still felt guilty. She continued to quietly whisper her prayers to the Divine.

"What… what… r'you doing?" A soft croaking voice had interrupted Monika's prayers.

Monika had thought she was beginning to imagine things. She slowly turned her head toward the direction of where the voice had come from. She half expected to learn she had just imagined it.

Alex was still lying upon the bed. Just as he had been for past several days. However, his eyes were open and his head was shifting to look in her direction. Monika remained motionless for a moment. It felt a little like she was dreaming. She felt as though any movement might break the spell and she would then realise that it actually was just a wishful dream.

"How… ack?" Alex made a choking sound.

Monika got up and rushed to Alex's side. She stared at him with equal measure of surprise and concern.

"Water." Alex's voice rasped.

"Don't try to speak." Monika insisted. She rushed to grab the nearby flask of water.

Alex had tried to lift his head. Monika had brought the flask over and placed her free hand beneath his head to provide some support as she kneeled by the bed.

Monika spoke quietly. "I have water. Just try to take a tiny sip… no more."

Alex tried to sip the water. He almost choked. Water dribbled down his stubbly chin. After a few attempts, he had managed to take a few sips. Just swallowing water seemed painful.

Monika wore a hopeful but concerned smile as she looked down at Alex. Alex had been trying to focus his blurry vision to look at Monika. He also noticed that he had no idea where he was. For that matter, he had no idea how he had come to be there. From the very last things that he could remember, he thought that he would be dead. He even thought that Monika might have been killed. Somehow, he doubted that the afterlife would involve such sensations of physical discomfort.

"How?" Alex's question left much room for interpretation.

"You beat the Thalmor mage." Monika offered.

"No, uh. How… long?" Alex clarified.

"Since the island," Monika specified. "It's been nearly eleven days."

Alex's mouth moved and his eyes widened a little. His vision still seemed a little off. "Eleven… days." He repeated. Alex blinked his eyes a few times. He hoped the moisture would help clear his vision. It helped just a little.

Monika elaborated a bit. "We've been here for most of that time. Nine days… in this room." She glanced to the side. "Prince Attrebus insisted."

Although she appeared fine, Alex was more interested in Monika's condition. "I thought… I thought, that you might have been killed."

Monika tried to smile reassuringly. "And I thought I'd lost you too."

With some effort, Alex brought his hand up to Monika's. Monika touched his cheek.

"How do you feel?" Monika asked.

Alex closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "I am sore… all over… and very weak."

"Can you move?" Monika hoped for a positive response.

Alex shifted each of his aching legs, but didn't try to get up. "I think so, but I might not be strong enough to get up."

"Don't try." Monika placed her hand upon his shoulder. "Just give me a moment. I'm not going anywhere."

Monika jumped up from her position and dashed across the room to a door. She poked her head outside for a moment and spoke to a guard. She closed the door and rushed back to Alex's side.

"What?" Alex wondered what that was all about.

"I just sent for a healer. I want them to check you over."

"I will be alright." Alex suggested. "I probably just need to rest."

Monika's expression seemed firm, but gentle at the same time. "You let the healer decide."

"Where are we?" Alex really wasn't sure.

"One of the rooms in the Imperial Tower."

Alex had thought that could have been the case. "Treb?"

"Yes." Monika confirmed. "After the healers had done all they could… and they still couldn't revive you… well, Treb insisted that they take you to one these rooms."

Alex nodded his acceptance, realising that his neck was hurting as he did so.

"The Ayleid crown?" Alex suddenly returned to the reason behind everything that had happened.

Monika grinned a little. "You broke it."

Alex looked a little surprised.

Monika continued. "You might have saved the Empire."

"I hope so… because it really hurts." Alex tried to smile. Even his face hurt as he pulled at the muscles.

Alex asked about Monika. "Were you hurt badly?"

"Bad enough." She conceded. "When I woke up, I tried some healing spells… and some potions. My shoulder and ribs were busted, but not enough to put me down. I thought you might have been…"

Alex waited for Monika to continue.

"Once the troops came up through the cave… well, they had some field healers among them. You were breathing, but we couldn't tell how bad it was." She paused. "Once we got to the ship, then back here… they had palace healers work on you."

"What about the others?" Alex asked her.

"Forester was busted up fairly bad, but he made it. Once the healers had fixed his legs, he was up and about." She paused. Alex seemed to want to know more. "He waited around for while. Came to look in on you. Things didn't look good." After a brief pause. "He only left two days ago. Didn't say where he was going."

"I am glad he is alright." Alex responded. "The others?"

Monika paused before answering. She shook her head slowly. "Not Hunter. He died on the island. Rivers survived. He lost a lot of blood, but he made it in the end. That's what they told me. I haven't seen him since the first night we got here."

Alex didn't say anything, accepting the information for what it was.

After a brief silence, Monika asked Alex a question. "Do you remember anything?"

Alex considered for a moment. "The last things I remember… I was down, but the paralysis spell did not seem to have worked fully. I was able to take the potion and play dead as I recovered." He paused. "I saw you go down… but I could not get up." He paused again. "Once I recovered enough, I took up Hunter's hammer and tried bash that mage in the head… I think I got him, but I also hit that crown. I think… I think I used that… that dragon tongue shout, as well. I don't know why. There was a really bright light, I think. Then… nothing."

Monika considered Alex's words. "That sounds right. The people of the naval vessel said that they heard a sound like thunder and a bright light came from the island. I expect that was you."

Alex nodded again, forgetting how much it hurt his neck.

Just then, the door to the room had opened. A palace healer dressed in blue robes had entered and made her way across the room toward the bed. Monika recognised her. She was a Breton woman in her thirties called Julienne. Her auburn hair was tied up in a neat bun. She had nodded to Monika as she shuffled past to examine Alex.

The healer had firstly made a physical examination. Then she cast a spell of some sort over Alex, pausing to consider the result. She had also cast a healing spell of some variation before smiling to Alex with a nod and brief smile.

Julienne turned to Monika as she spoke. "He's well enough, as far as I can tell. I think that he just needs more time to rest and recover." She paused. "You should call me, if there's any need."

Monika had thanked Julienne, and the healer then turned and left the room.

After a moment of silence, Alex spoke. "So, I should be alright?"

Monika returned a light smile. "I think you need to think about the part where she said you need time to rest and recover."

"I doubt that I could manage much else." Alex tried not to smile too much. Aside from his general state of soreness and fatigue, he had been thinking that something felt different, but he couldn't tell what it was.

Alex had reached out for more water. Monika stepped up and brought it to him. Alex managed a few more sips, with a little less trouble than before.

Monika pulled over a chair to sit just by the side of the bed. After a moment, she had recalled something else. It had seemed rather secondary in the circumstances. "Oh, I just remembered. We've been paid. I've got yours in the chest over there." She pointed in the direction of a chest near the wall.

Alex had glanced only briefly toward the chest. He wasn't all that concerned.

"They paid us a lot extra." Monika added.

"Okay." Alex accepted.

"A LOT extra." Monika restated.

Alex looked at her. "How much?"

"They paid an official bonus of three-thousand."

"Three?" Alex seemed surprised.

"That's a total of seven-thousand for the contract."

"That is… quite generous." Alex commented.

Monika waited a further moment for that to sink in. "There's more."

Alex looked confused. "What… more?"

Monika's amber eyes reflect a little glint of enthusiasm as she paused before answering. "Since we can't speak of anything we have done in service to the Empire…" She seemed as though she was reciting something that she had been told. "Prince Attrebus has insisted that we are to be rewarded with an additional unofficial reward."

Alex waited for Monika to continue. She seemed to be drawing it out for full effect.

Monika finally resumed in the same fashion of recital. "In quiet recognition of our service to the Empire, we are each offered either a parcel of land or gold of equal value."

Alex digested that information. "That is… very generous."

Monika just smiled in response.

After a moment, Alex commented. "I cannot decide which would be better."

Monika had leaned back in the chair. She had something to say. "I went to see Nerussa yesterday." Her tone seemed a little apprehensive.

Alex indicated his attention. He wasn't sure what he was about to hear.

Monika hesitated only briefly. "I took the gold." She paused. "I paid off all of Nerussa's outstanding debts and bought into the inn."

Alex was just beginning to consider what that actually meant, but Monika didn't give him much time to think upon it.

Monika continued. "I'm not taking over the Wawnet Inn. Not yet, anyway. I'm just buying in… as part owner." After a pause. "Nerussa wants to leave it to me anyway. After she's gone… but I don't feel right about that. At least this way…" She trailed off.

Alex considered what Monika had said. "So, you are not planning to leave the Fighter's Guild?"

"Maybe, but not just yet." Monika paused. "Besides, I still haven't finished with your proper training."

Alex raised his eyebrows, informing him of other muscles that hurt.

"Yeah." Monika mulled her thoughts. "After all of this, I'll be advising that you should be made a full member of the Guild. After we deal with your blunt weapons training, that is." She grinned.

Alex considered the irony. "Not today." He countered. He was trying to be funny.

"No, not today." A light smile returned to Monika. She placed her hand upon his arm.

A brief silence passed between them. Monika's expression still seemed vaguely troubled, despite her attempt to maintain a reassuring smile. Alex had picked up upon that. He had shifted his other hand to place it over hers. Alex had looked into Monika's eyes. He tried to guess at what she was thinking. Monika looked down at their hands, averting her gaze.

Monika broke the silence. "Look, I… I regret getting us involved with… with something so dangerous. It was a bit soon for you… a bit soon for you to take on something like that. I nearly got you killed…" She trailed off, still looking down at their hands.

"I'm not sorry at all." Alex countered. "I have lived so much more in the past few weeks, than I had done in all the past few years." After pausing for a breath. "I have no regrets… but I am very sore." He tried to smile despite the discomfort that it brought.

Monika looked back up, returning his smile.

Alex spoke again. "I do not know whether I want to eat or sleep. I can't decide."

Monika smiled at him. Her eyes shifted subtly as she realised that he had just said 'can't' instead of 'cannot'. She didn't mention it.

"You should just rest for a little while." Monika spoke warmly. "I'll go find something for you to eat."

"Okay." Alex closed his eyes for a moment. He was glad that they had succeeded in protecting the Empire. Even if no one outside of the informed few would ever know of it. He was grateful that he had survived the experience. He was even more pleased that Monika had survived to remain by his side. Without any special foresight of what might lay ahead, he still felt filled with fresh hope. Alex couldn't imagine what the future might bring, but he could hardly wait to find out.

~O~

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Afterword: If you made it this far, feel free to pass comment [whether privately or publicly]. Special thanks to those that provided assistance and advice with this story, including those other writers providing comment via review or PM. Also, friends that acted as sounding-boards during development and revisions. Special mention for The Imperial Library website for providing such a wealth of useful information. And of course, the folks at Bethesda for creating the detailed universe of The Elders Scrolls.


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